


The Time that was Erased

by StarryStories2



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, Batfamily (DCU), Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Cassandra Cain is Black Bat, Childhood Trauma, Comedy, Damian Wayne is Robin, Fix-It, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jason Todd Deserves Happiness, Jason Todd Has a Heart, Jason Todd Kills Joker (DCU), Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd is Robin, Jason Todd is a nerd, Jason Todd is an English Teacher, Jason Todd-centric, Light Angst, Literary References, Mute Cassandra Cain, POV Jason Todd, Protective Jason Todd, Rated T for language, Stalker Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown is Robin, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Time Travelling Jason Todd, Worried Batfamily (DCU), meta human Duke Thomas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26584813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryStories2/pseuds/StarryStories2
Summary: What if, somehow, Jason, as Red Hood gets sent back in time, goes to Ethiopia, straight up shoots the Joker in the face while saying some snarky comment, saves his younger self and then goes off grid. Well... mostly off grid.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd, Duke Thomas & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Batfamily Members, Jason Todd & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 559
Kudos: 1194
Collections: THE RAD JASON TODD FOLDER





	1. Operation: I Was Never Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3:00 AM, April 27th, 2014
> 
> That was the date on the security camera feed. An extremely familiar date.
> 
> It was from six years in the past. Consequently, the day he died.

How does it start?

Well, that’s simple.

It starts with a fight gone wrong, as most of these things do. 

But unlike most things, it’s completely Alfred’s fault … or at least that’s what Jason told himself.

Alfred insisted that he come for dinner at the manor, which turned into desert, which turned into an impromptu movie night before patrol, which turned into patrol, which turned into a kick to the ribs and a trip down the glowy-whirlpool-slide-of-doom. 

And so, Jason had tracked the inciting incident to its source and determined that it _was, in fact,_ Alfred’s fault.

 _Not that I could do much about that right now,_ he thought as he slowly sat up. 

Good news: he was still in the museum that the rogues tried to rob. Bad news: he was the only one in said building and Jason was pretty sure multiple rogues and the entire Bat Clan had been there. As well as more exhibits, including the one he smashed into before … whatever it was that had just happened.

Being the smart and critical thinker that he was, Jason had narrowed it down to three options. 

_Different dimension. Different world. Time travel. Or some unholy combination of the three. Fan-freaking-tastic!_

He scanned the large exhibit room, his training kicking in. _No other occupants, or at least not here, but there’s bound to be some security guard asleep on duty._ His gaze came face to face with a security camera. _Oh, we can’t have that can we?_ He thought.

He slowly got to his feet, checking himself for injuries. 

_Luckly, no broken bones, but some terrible bruising,_ he thought after his check was complete, _a pox on Harley’s hammer._

Well, there was only one thing to do.

 _First priority - Initiate Operation:_ I Was Never Here _._

*****

It didn’t take him long to find the surveillance room, and two tranq darts later, the security guards were taken care of as well. 

_I’ll have to be more stingy about my supplies from now on though._ Jason pushed that thought to the back of his mind for the moment. He’d burn that bridge when he came to it.

_Now to just erase my existence and be on my merry way._

He stepped up to the computer and rewound the security footage. Jason chuckled. It was rather humorous to watch himself walk backwards into the room, lay down, and then get sucked up into a blue swirling portal all at 2x speed. 

_It’d probably be good to download the footage before deleting it,_ he thought, taking out a flash drive and plugging it into the computer.

Jason did a double take.

_3:00 AM, April 27th, 2014_

That was the date on the security camera feed. An extremely familiar date.

It was from six years in the past. Consequently, the day he died.

He died in exactly nineteen hours and thirty-nine minutes.

Jason swelled with anger, his eyes flashing green, before he returned to his task a little quicker and more determined than before.

After all, he had a lot more to do than just looping camera footage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading. I know this chapter is pretty short, but I plan for the rest of them to be longer.
> 
> Shout out to PepperSoniRoni for being my editor and inspiring me to actually follow through with this fic idea. Their Ao3 and Tumblr links are at the end.
> 
> I know not a whole lot happened in this chapter, but I have so much planned for this fic, and I really hope you guys like it.  
> Updates will be irregular, so please have grace. You can find me on tumblr at @starrystories2.
> 
> Other than that, keep reading & keep writing! :)
> 
> PepperSoniRoni:  
> Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperSoniRoni  
> Tumblr: https://peppersonironi.tumblr.com


	2. Curse you, puberty!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He paused.  
> Oh no.  
> Oh yes!  
> Jason quickened his pace, finally knowing his destination.

One thing Jason had always been able to lord over his family was his suit’s civilian mode - also known as taking off the helmet and domino mask, hiding his guns in his jacket, and zipping it up. This got him out of many tricky situations, including walking around Gotham at 3:30 AM without drawing more than the usual amount of weird looks, which was what he was doing at that moment. Attention was the last thing he needed right now.

His grip tightened on the straps of the backpack he had _borrowed_ from the security guard - along with several non-perishable snacks - as he considered his situation. 

_Okay, I’ve completed step one. What the heck was step two?_ Jason couldn’t focus on a plan though, as only two thoughts ensnared his mind at the moment.

Save himself. 

Kill the Joker. 

Oh yes, he was _definitely_ following time travel protocol and Bruce would _definitely_ approve. 

If Jason was being honest with himself, he was giving the Pit’s anger a little too much control. However, Jason was never the kind of person to be honest with others, much less himself. Why should he start now?

_Now, I have less than 20 hours to get to Ethiopia and save my butt. It takes about 15 hours to get there, and that’s a direct flight with no setbacks. But that’s assuming I can get a passport and enough money for a direct flight to Ethiopia, not to mention enough money to get back._

Because he _was_ coming back to Gotham after this. It just didn’t make sense not to. If _he_ was looking for a family member in a different world/universe/timeline/thing, the first place Jason would look would be Gotham. No exceptions. 

So back to his non-existent options, which consisted of shipping himself in a package - expensive, unreliable, and too slow- zipping himself in a suitcase - uncomfortable, and risk of being mistaken for a bomb - asking for a ride from Superman - Why did he even consider that? - and stealing a plane. Alright, that wasn’t such a bad idea. But where would he find a -

He paused. 

_Oh no._

_Oh_ yes!

Jason quickened his pace, finally knowing his destination.

 _I mean,_ he thought with a smirk, _it’s not like I wasn’t going to infiltrate the Batcave eventually._

*****

One thing Jason liked - no, _loved_ \- about the Batcave was the infinite amount of entrances and exits. Of course, each one had Oracle level security to bypass, but if Jason had done the math right, Babs was still up and kicking butt as Batgirl and runner up tech wiz fell to Tim who was … oh right. Probably being a little stalker.

At 4:00 AM.

In Gotham.

On a Tuesday.

With _school_ the next morning.

Jason sighed. He was probably going to have to do something about that eventually, if he was even around long enough to do something about it. 

For the moment, however, Jason had the advantage. The future made him more knowledgeable technologically than this Batclan, and if that didn’t make him chuckle, then nothing would. So, by-passing security? No-problemo! 

‘Voice activation required’

 _Well, crud._ Jason didn’t know how to by-pass voice activation. As Robin he never had to. By the time he started hanging around the Bats again, they had apparently had the removed that feature due to the fact that some of the kids had learned to copy voices and some related incidents. 

Jason considered his options. _I mean, I would still be in the system as Robin, right?_

“Uh … Jason Todd?”

‘Access denied. You have two attempts left’

_Frick! Use your stupid CODE NAME! Hmmmm …_

“Robin?”

‘Access denied. You have one attempt left. And Robin if you make the cave go on lock down on purpose again, I swear by every suit in the batcave you will be doing chores for Agent A for the next _two weeks_ ’

Jason felt he handled himself well considering the circumstances. He calmly got up and walked far enough away so the device wouldn’t pick up his voice, and promptly burst into laughter. 

“Oh man!” Jason said to himself, after finally pulling himself together. He had forgotten Bruce had left messages like that. “Now that takes me back!”

 _Back to better times._ He thought, then shook his head. _No, times this Jason will still have!_ He would make sure of it.

 _Okay, so I have one attempt left. I_ know _I’m still in the system, so I must be doing something–_

It was at this moment that he knew.

“CURSE YOU, PUBERTY!”

******

After taking a moment to curse his own rugged manliness, Jason re-focused himself on the problem. Well, less of a problem, now that he knew what said problem was.

_All I have to do is sound like I did at fifteen. Gosh was I really that late of a bloomer? Wow._

After several minutes of searching data files, listening to old comm records, and practicing his impression of, well, _himself_ , Jason marched back up to the cave entrance.

As he prayed for it to not shut down, or blow up in his face, he took a deep breath, and pinched his nose.

“Robin!”

‘Welcome, Robin.’ That glorious, automated voice responded, as the cave entrance slid open. Jason walked in, practically beaming. Now all he had to do was hack the batcomputer, prep the batplane, repeat Step One (aka: I was never here), and hit the road. Easy peasy lemon–

“Master Jason? Is that you?”

Because of course Alfred would be in the cave running Comms. Why wouldn’t he be? 

_Oh, wonderful, perfect Alfred! Why!_ Jason had no time to ponder why, because there were the telltale signs of footsteps. He had to act fast.

“Yeah, Alfred, it’s me!” he replied, pitching his nose again, “Don’t come any closer!”

The footsteps paused. 

“Are you feeling quite yourself, Master Jason? You sound different.”

_Because of course Alfred could tell a difference._

“I think I might have picked something up in Ethiopia, which is why I don’t want you to come any closer.”

“Master Jason, I am not even within sight of you. I’m sure coming a bit closer won’t kill me.” The footsteps started again. 

_Frick! Frick! Frick! Frick! Think fast! Think fast! Think fast!_

“NO!” Jason yelled, willing desperation into his voice. The footsteps halted abruptly. 

_Here’s to hoping this works._

“I can’t lose anyone else!”

There was a long pause, in which Jason was sure he had somehow found the secret to living without breathing (although he had somehow already managed that when he had been ‘dead’ in his coffin). 

“Master Jason, are you sure you’re alright?” Alfred finally asked.

_Please work! Please for once in your life, don’t be so… Alfred._

“It was a trap,” he said through fake sobs, “she’s dead.”

Jason was … incredibly stupid. Now this was a fact he knew about himself, but he never realized how stupid he really was until this moment. He had nothing. No back up plan. His only hope was that Alfred would not see through the worst acting he’s ever done in his life. Granted, Alfred was still not within sight of him, and could only make judgements based on his voice impersonation and his fake crying, but still, this was a really dumb plan. 

“Oh, Jaylad.”

Oh frick! Was it actually working!?

“I’m so sorry, my boy.” Alfred comforted, though, as far as Jason could tell, he made no attempt to come closer. “Are you injured?”

“No.”

“Very well, Master Jason. Could I get you anything?”

_JUST GET OUT OF THE CAVE!!!!_

“Hot chocolate?” Jason could hear the old man smile.

“I think that will be manageable, shall I call Master Bruce?”

_NO!!!!_

“Um… not yet?”

“Very well.” And with that, the butler’s footsteps retreated. 

Jason stayed frozen until he heard the grandfather clock slide into place, then he started 

breathing again. _That was WAY too close!_ He thought as he cautiously entered the main area of the Batcave. 

It seemed ... _outdated_ , though that was to be expected. What caught him most off-guard was the empty space where he was so used to seeing the display of his battered Robin uniform. Jason took a deep breath. It would _not_ happen again. He made his way to the Batcomputer, and easily hacked his way in, but before he could continue, he could not make the mistake of forgetting about Alfred again. So ...

_Please forgive me, Alfie!_

*****

Alfred was relieved. Confused, yes, but _relieved_. There were a lot of things that didn’t add up, like how Master Jason was able to get back from Ethiopia so quickly, or how unlike himself he sounded. Alfred was two seconds away from locking down the cave and calling Master Bruce to tell him the cave had been breached. 

But then Jason cried.

 _And Master Jason never openly cries in front of anyone._ Which is why Alfred had not gone any closer. Jason had already made himself that vulnerable, probably involuntarily considering the gravity of the news he carried. News heavy enough for any boy, let alone one like Jason. In those few words Jason had spoken, Alfred was taken back to a terrible night in a dirty, dim-lit alley. The police zipping up two body bags, and a similar small boy wrapped in a shock blanket. He had asked for hot chocolate too, that night.

So Alfred allowed himself to hope, to overlook the impossibilities and believe what he wanted to be true. 

That Jason had come home. 

All his hopes were dashed to pieces, however, when an alert on his phone told him the cave was in lockdown. 

He sighed and called Bruce immediately.

*****

'Lockdown'

 _I’m so glad that B got rid of the animated voice,_ Jason thought as he pulled out yet another flash drive - this one with a larger capacity than the first - and plugged it into the batcomputer. _It’s creepy._

Jason had several things to do in a very short amount of time. Alfred would be alerted that the cave had gone into lockdown, or figure it out somehow (because he’s Alfred). Alfred would call Bruce, and Bruce would come straight back to the cave and deactivate the lockdown, ready to deal with whoever was inside. Jason did not want to be there when he did arrive.

He left the computer, letting it begin the download process, and headed to the medbay to gather supplies. _Who knows what kind of trouble I’ll get into. Besides, if I’m on the late side, lil’ me will need medical attention - stat._ He was no medic, and any supplies he brought would do little to help in the long run, but it was better than nothing, and it made him feel as though he had a better handle on what the future might hold.

After packing an IV (without the stand of course), several pain meds, bandages and essentials he would usually have on standby in his safe houses, he threw in a couple snacks and drinks (B had to feed hungry Robins somehow), and hefted the bulging backpack over his shoulder. He stopped by the computer to see it’s progress.

 _Frick, not even close to being done. This isn’t going to work._ Besides, from here on out, everything was going to be different. After his task was done, he couldn’t rely on his knowledge of his future to determine what B would do. He would need to be regularly updated, and he couldn’t just sneak into the frickin’ _Batcave_ whenever he wanted. Not after this.

This was his only chance.

Time was running out. 

_So it’s time for a change in tactic._

*****

Hotwiring the batplane wasn’t difficult _per say_ , but it was certainly much harder than unlocking it. Jason just didn’t hotwire planes on a regular basis. Usually he’d hotwire motorcycles, cars, or occasionally helicopters. He’d rarely ever do planes. 

_Come to think of it, have I ever hotwired a plane before?_ Sure Jason had flown planes before, but usually he’d look for something smaller than a plane for a getaway vehicle. However, the Batplane was the only flying vehicle with enough fuel capacity to at least get him to Ethiopia. He didn’t know if he’d have to refuel for the way back or not, but none of that was going to matter _if he couldn’t start the stupid plane in the first place!_

Jason tucked that thought away. Now was not the time to doubt his abilities. _There’s a first time for everything._ He thought. 

Finally, the plane engine rumbled to life, but there was no time to celebrate. He shrugged off his backpack and sprinted back to the computer. 

Overriding some of the lockdown protocols, he prepped the plane for take off. He just had one last thing to do.

_What was that blasted code the Replacement made?!_

***** 

_“It’s a rather simple code,” Tim stated, before typing out incoherent numbers and prattling off a long and unnecessary explanation of the code in hacker’s cant._

_“You’ll have complete access to their device without their knowledge and then when someone tries to sweep the device for viruses –”_

_“Oh for the love of_ _Wilhelmina Harker_ _!” Jason exclaimed. “Just give me the ‘Hacking for Dummies’ version and show me how to do it!”_

 _Tim swiveled in his chair. “_ _Wilhelmina Harker_ _?”_

_Jason gasped in horror._

_“Tell me, you’ve read Dracula.”_

_Tim rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I kind of dropped out of high school after my mom died. So I never had to read it for a class and I never really had the time for books after that.” Tim confessed._

_“That’s it! I’m disowning you!”_

_“We’re not even related!” Tim yelled after Jason, as he walked past him to his motorcycle, “And, technically speaking, you’re dead!”_

_Jason laughed, before turning back to Tim._

_“Never stopped me before,” he smirked._

_Tim smiled back, eyes wide with traces of the lingering hero worship from his Gotham stalking days._

_Jason turned away._

_“Just send me a text with the info, I gotta run.”_

*****

Because that’s what he always did: Run.

It was what he was doing now, to be honest, but at least this time he was running to something, instead of running from his family. 

_He thinks as he literally runs from his family,_ Jason thought wryly to himself, _Now where was that darn text!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> So I finished this chapter WAY sooner than I thought I would. I can't promise that I'll update this often, though.
> 
> Again, shout out to PepperSoniRoni for being my editor! They did a great job helping me with this chapter (you have no idea). The tags to their ao3 and tumblr accounts are in the notes of chapter 1.
> 
> Honestly, I had so much fun with this chapter and it really went in a direction I wasn't expecting. At first, I had no intention of writing from Alfred's perspective in this chapter, or adding that flash back with Tim, but I'm so glad I did.
> 
> Anyway, if you have any questions, or just want to say something, please leave a comment (I love you guys' comments SO much and will try to reply to all of them).
> 
> Other than that, keep reading & writing! :)


	3. Finger Guns Can Save Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To say Bruce was having a bad day would be an understatement.

To say Bruce was having a bad day would be an understatement. This was for several reasons, the most prevalent thing on his mind being his missing son. 

_Jason._

He’d been missing for almost three weeks now, and Bruce had taught that boy well, meaning he was no closer to finding him than when he started. Bruce reassured himself that the Batcomputer was scanning for Jason twenty-four seven. However, this did little to settle his nerves.

There was also the matter of his other son, lingering in the back of his mind. Dick and him - to put it nicely - were not on the best of terms. Last time he’d seen him, Dick stormed out of the cave without giving him or Jason a second glance, briefly mentioning that he had an off world mission he didn’t plan to come back from for the next month.

Meaning he didn’t know his brother was missing. 

To top it all off, the Joker had managed to give Arkham the slip ages ago and no one had noticed till now, and Alfred had just called to inform him there was an intruder in the cave, which was now on lockdown.

Yes, Bruce was having a very bad day.

Week.

Month. 

More than anything, he was tired. Tired of worrying about Jason. Tired of his standoff relationship with Dick, Tired of cleaning up after Gotham as usual when dealing with his crappy home life. And also just _so tired_ because he hadn’t had time to sleep.

But none of this deterred him from slamming his foot on the gas as he sped his way back to the Batcave. 

_Whoever is inside picked the wrong day to mess with Batman._

******

“Computer, override lockdown,” he said as he got within sight of the cave’s entrance. 

‘Access granted. Welcome Batman.’

The lockdown walls opened just as the batmobile cleared the jump through the waterfall, allowing Batman to speed down the long, dark tunnel that opened out into the cave. He came to a stop, and climbed out of the Batmobile, scanning the cave.

Nothing looked too out of the ordinary, but he was not fool enough to doubt Alfred. He walked a little further into the cave, eyes and ears straining to catch any movement, any sound. Hoping to catch the intruder by surprise, Bruce pivoted suddenly. 

Just in time to catch a man in a red helmet with one foot in the batplane. 

_How did he bypass security?_ Bruce wondered, knowing exactly how paranoid he’d been when setting it up. Top of the line. Nothing less.

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither making a move towards the other. 

*****

The situation was almost comical, like a parent catching their child with his hand caught in a cookie jar. However, Bruce did not look like he was in the mood for a laugh.

But had that ever stopped Jason before?

That would be a grand, hecking _no_!

In fact, it was times like these that encouraged his mischievous behavior, so it couldn’t be helped. 

So that was why the thought going through Jason’s head was: _And now it’s time for Mess with Bruce. The part of the show where Jason comes out and messes with Bruce._

*******

Suddenly, the man let out a shrill whistle while gesturing with finger guns at him. 

The cave came to life. Bruce was surrounded by a sea of screeching black and brown, clawing and scratching him. 

Through the tornado of cave’s bats, Bruce managed to see the man give him a two finger salute, before hopping into the plane. Bruce ignored the attacks with gritted teeth and stumbled through the mass of leathery wings to the armory and accessed a sonic device that Dick had insisted on calling the ‘Batwave’. It was used to loosely control bats, as a warning or attraction tool. One which he used now. The flood of mammals parted just in time for him to see the Batplane taking off. He growled, then jumped into the batwing to pursue. 

“Master Bruce!” Alfred called, running in just as he was about to take off.

“Stay on comms. Tell me exactly what happened.” he took off without another word. 

Bruce ground his teeth as he tried to lock on to the batplane’s signal.

This was personal. 

That man made it personal when he used his own bats to attack him in his own cave. 

There was only one person who could command his bats without a sonic device.

*****

 _“Jason,_ what _are you doing?”_

_Jason paused his blowing to look over at Bruce._

_“I’m practicing!”_

_“And what are you practicing?”_

_“My whistle! I want to be able to call for help!”_

_Bruce blinked, because what_ was _his kid talking about?_

_“I mean,” Jason continued, “I know you’re always gonna be there for me, but what if I need help and you can’t get there or if there’s an intruder in the cave and you’re not here?”_

_Bruce did think about that. A lot. Maybe too much._

_“Well now you don’t have to worry, ‘cause if that happens, I can just sick the bats on them,” he proclaimed, emphasizing his point with a shrill whistle._

_Bruce had to hold back his laughter._

_“Jason, your whistle is not going to call the cave bats. You need something with a higher frequency.”_

_Jason stared at him for a moment and then let out a higher, shriller whistle._

_“Jason, chum, no. It doesn’t work like that. It’s impossible.”_

_“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, OLD MAN!” he retorted with a good natured annoyance, before continuing to whistle very loudly._

_Knowing there was nothing he could do to persuade him otherwise, Bruce went to go change into his suit for the night._

_He was right of course. The frequency of pitch bat’s communicated in were impossible to make with the human voice._

_However, Jason was persistent. It started with one bat coming to sit on his shoulder, and a very smug Jason giving him the_ I Told You So **TM** _speech. He was somewhat surprised, but it made sense that after being exposed to Jason’s attempts to communicate for some time that the bats would start taking an interest._

_Soon the same bat would come back whenever Jason called, then a handful of bats. Turns out, bats pass the word along, so in a sense you train one you train them all. Bruce started to get worried when nearly the entire colony would come at his call, because Jason could get seriously hurt by hundreds of bats all trying to sit on his shoulders all at once. But Bruce supposed it was kind of the point. It would be a good tactic for Jason to use if anyone did infiltrate the cave, so Bruce started helping him train the bats to answer simple commands._

****

 _Simple commands_ , Bruce thought, _Like ‘come’, ‘protect’,_ ‘attack’ _._ That last one involved pointing out the enemy, which the man had done, albeit unconventionally. 

The man _knew_ the command. And the bats _responded_. 

Whoever he was, had been watching them. For a long time. Considering the evidence, it was not the first time this man had entered the cave. Just the first time he had been caught. Which still didn’t explain how he managed to get access to the batcave in the first place, or how he managed to get past Alfred who had been at the batcomputer.

 _“Batman,”_ came Aflred’s voice through the comms.

“Agent A,” he replied, “Report.”

“I was at the Batcomputer when I saw that Robin’s voice was used to activate an entrance. I went to investigate.”

Batman stayed silent while Alfred told him everything that occurred between him and the mysterious man. He certainly didn’t blame Alfred for letting his guard down. If he had been in that position, he would have thought the same. It didn’t help that they both wanted Jason to come home. However, the whole affair was _very_ concerning. 

_How was he able to use Jason’s voice. And how had he known that Jason had run away to find his birth mother? But why_ Jason _?_ Everything the man did seemed to be connected to him somehow. The voice, the bats, even the man’s evident, sassy body language seemed to echo his son’s. It was as if this man studied his every move. 

_And why Ethiopia? Was that where Jason actually was or did he pick a country at random?_

He clenched the steering wheel. 

Nothing was ever random for him.

So this intruder _knew_ where Jason was.

He knew when Batman _didn’t._

He didn’t like that. Not one bit. 

Bruce floored the gas as the Batplane’s tracker blipped up on his screen.

One thing was for sure: he wasn’t going to let this man get anywhere near his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry it's been a bit since the last post, but I hope this chapter makes up for it.
> 
> I want to thank each and everyone of you who chose to comment. It's encouraging to see how many people like what I write and even more encouraging to know you want more. You're comments fill me with so much joy. So thanks!
> 
> Again I want to thank my beta, PepperSoniRoni, with whom this fic would not exist. You should go check out their tumblr and ao3 accounts (links are in notes of ch.1)
> 
> I've started on chapter 4 but haven't gotten to far, so I don't know when it'll be up. I'm also doing my first Whumptober ( I will be posting my prompts on my tumblr and ao3), so my attention is somewhat divided. 
> 
> Honestly, all of this so far has been set up., but things are starting to pick up, and some important stuff is gonna happen in the next few chapters. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys are still enjoying this fic. Just so you know, we've got a long way to go.
> 
> So keep reading & writing! :)


	4. I’m a Bad Boy - You Can’t Kill Me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well,” said Joker, walking away from the broken figure with a spring in his step, “I admit this has been fun, little birdy. But I must be off! Places to be, people to kill!.”

“Well,” said Joker, walking away from the broken figure with a spring in his step, “I  admit this has been fun, little birdy. But I must be off! Places to be, people to kill!.” Joker let out an ear rattling cackle, one so loud and horrific, it hardly seemed natural.

The small figure covered in both red cloth and blood, groaned softly.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Joker whined, taking out a small device with a red button, “It’ll all be over soon.”

He pressed the button.

Somewhere else in the warehouse, a timer started counting down. 

“In just a few short minutes,” the Joker continued as he reached the door, pulling out a key, “All your pain will disappear.”

He turned to look over his shoulder at the little, broken robin.

“Permanently,” he let out another whooping enlaught of laughter.

The clown prince of crime unlocked the door, but paused with his hand on the handle.

“You ready to die, little bird?” he asked with a sickening smile on his face, which threatened to break out into another hideous fit of giggles.

It never got the chance. 

The door flew off its hinges almost flattening him, and the clown stumbled backwards out of the way of the falling door. His eyes fell upon a tall figure with a red helmet.

**Bang!**

******

Jason wished he had more time.

More time to make the Joker suffer. To break every bone. To bleed every drop of blood and then some. To make his life a living hell.

But there wasn’t time for that. This Jason didn’t have time for that.

However, he’d be the first to admit that the bullet hole in the Joker’s forehead was a satisfying sight. Not as satisfying as the shock etched on the Joker’s face; that had been priceless. It was nice knowing his corpse, no matter how crispy it would be in the next few minutes, would be permanently stuck with that expression instead of his usual bone chilling smile.

The Joker slumped forward as his soul - or what passed as it - left him, laying face down on the floor displaying the bullet’s exit hole.

He’d done it. 

The Joker was dead.

Jason had heard the last thing he’d said:

_ You ready to die, little bird? _

Jason smiled to himself as he holstered his gun. He knew a perfect response.

“I’m a bad boy - you can’t kill me.”

*****

Now, Bruce had thought he was being clever. He  _ was _ clever. He had caught up to the batwing and landed on top without alerting the mysterious red helmeted man. He thought he was two steps ahead of said man.

That is, until they landed. 

That had been interesting. 

Because instead of going out the plane door like a normal person, the man sped out the cargo hold on  _ Bruce’s Batcycle _ .

How had he not noticed it had gone missing?

And why did the man not remove the sidecar?

It had taken a few hundred to borrow a motorcycle, and several shortcuts to catch up to the man. He was lucky the tracking devices on his vehicles were still active.

Bruce was literally on this guy’s bumper when, he turned around, sighed and said,

“Please, Bats. You’re gonna make me miss my 10:30 appointment. And trust me you do  _ not _ want me to miss my 10:30.” 

And with that, the man threw a smoke bomb at the Dark Knight’s face.

When the smoke cleared, the man was gone.

And so was the tracker on the batcycle.

*****

The tracker showed up again at 10:30 for exactly 30 seconds before disappearing again.

It wasn’t moving. 

Batman sped to location.

He was lucky he had been going in that direction.

He could get there in ten minutes.

*****

**_10 …_ ** He was within sight of the warehouse. He’d be there in less than a minute. 

**_9 …_ ** _ Why would he lead me here? _ Batman thought.

**_8 …_ ** Because it was obvious he was being led. 

**_7 …_ ** The man had obviously known how to deactivate his tracker at the drop of a hat.  _ Which means he _ meant _ for me to follow him. _

**_6 …_ ** _ Why?  _

**5 …** _ Is it a trap?  _

**_4 …_ ** _ Is he working for someone, like the Joker?  _

**_3 …_ ** _ Could the Joker be here? _

**_2 …_ ** His heart skipped a beat.

**_1 …_ ** _ Could Jason be here? _

It was 10:39.

**BOOM!**

******

After searching for half an hour, Batman found three things in the rubble of the burning warehouse. 

Two of those things were corpses.

The first was near the entrance, and even though the body was nearly burnt to a crisp, he recognized the purple suit jacket and what was left of the green hair of the Joker. The man had a small yet gaping hole in his forehead. A bullet hole.

The second body was female. He couldn’t recognize it, so he took a DNA sample. He also took a DNA sample of the other body

He had to be  _ sure _ it was the Joker.

The last thing he found was indisputably the most frightening.

A single birdarang.

One of Jason’s.

Who was nowhere in sight.

There was a blip on his gauntlet.

The tracker for the batcycle was back, and it was right next to the Batplane.

Batman, picking up the birdarang and hopping back onto his motorcycle, had one question in mind.

_ Where is my son? _

He was going to get an answer from that red helmeted man, even if he had to beat it out of him himself.

*****

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he made it back to the batplane. 

Only to find that the batwing was gone.

Bruce was so close to breaking down right there. So. Close.

But he couldn’t.

_ Jason’s still out there. _

And he wasn’t going to rest until he figured out where his son was. So he entered the Batplane fully intending to follow that red helmet to the ends of the earth.

All intentions went out the window when he saw the figure laying atop an emergency stretcher. 

“Jason?”

The boy was unconscious, hooked up to an IV bag that was draped over the co-pilot seat, covered in bandages, had multiple wounds stitched up, and was breathing from an oxygen mask.

But he was  _ breathing _ . Breathing through the bruises and cuts. breathing through the broken bones. Breathing through whatever internal injuries Bruce couldn't see.

He stumbled over his feet to get to the stretcher, stopping himself before he jossled it.

“Jason,” he whispered, cupping his boy’s face. Even in his sleep, Jason leaned into his touch. 

“Dad?”

His son’s voice caught him by surprise. His eyes were closed, his voice just slurred enough for him to know he wasn’t going to remember any of this.

_ What painkillers was he on? How did he get any out here? _ Bruce paused.

_ Who gave them to him? _

“M’sorry,” Jason slurred, bringing his thoughts to a stuttering halt. 

“No. I love you, Jay,” he said, putting his other hand on the other side of Jay’s face, “I love you, son.” he said, bringing his lips to his forehead.

It was then he noticed the note tapped to the side of the stretcher. 

He moved to take it. The noise of protest Jay making his heart clench.

“Shh,” he soothed, rubbing his thumb across the boy’s cheek, “I’m right here.” 

While his right hand continued to calm Jay, he picked up the card with his left.

It was a typed note with a single line:

_ 'I think this belongs to you. You're welcome. –RH' _

“Hnn.”

He turned the note over.

_ ‘P.S. The medics should be there by the time you’re reading this’ _

Sure enough, as soon as he finished reading, the sound of sirens met his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!
> 
> First, I want to thank my beta, PepperSoniRoni! I owe so many ideas to them and they turn my 3:00am rambles into something readable. So thank you! Again the links to their ao3 and tumblr accounts are in the ch.1 notes.
> 
> Second, I want to thank each and every one of you. I've gotten nothing but kind and motivating comments from you guys! I know that's not true for every fic, so thank you!
> 
> I hoped you guys all liked today's chapter. I welcome your questions if you have any. They can be clarifiying questions about the story or about the writing/brainstorming process. I love your questions, so don't be afriad to ask them. My only warning is, if you ask a question about things that are going to happen in future chapters, fully expect a criptic non-revealing answer. *MWAHAHA*
> 
> That's really all I got right now, so keep reading & writing :)


	5. You’re Barbara Freaking Gordon and Batgirl!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the evening when Barbara got the call.

It was one of the most important decisions of his life. His very happiness was at stake. Perhaps his sanity. Jason had held out as long as he could, but he couldn’t ignore the problem any longer. He had to choose a companion.

His first option possessed a stinging bitterness that stayed with you long after they were gone, but somehow left you wanting more. On the other hand, his second option was kinder and subtler, but you could easily get sick of them after a while. 

Jason took a deep breath. He had to choose. 

His stomach rumbled.

_ Oh screw this! _

He snatched both bags of chips from the rack and went to the counter, where he set them down next to a large tank of gas. Enough to get him back to America.

“Sea salt and vinegar  _ and _ Sourcream and onion,” remarked the cashier, as she scanned the bags, “someone's hungry,”

“I’ve got a long flight ahead of me,” Jason remarked as he pulled out his wallet. He was lucky to have some cash on him when he poofed into the past.

“Really? Where you headed?” the cashier asked as she bagged the two items.

“No offence, kid, but it really isn’t your business,” remarked Jason.

The teenaged girl leveled him with a deadpan stare.

“Indulge me. Nothing ever happens in Greenland. Besides, who am I gonna tell? The birds?”

Jason chuckled. It felt …  _ good _ . 

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Mari,” she replied, “your’s?”

_ So many possibilities! So many options! _

“Tim.”

_ DANG IT! Curse you, Replacement!  _

“But … I go by Roy! It’s my middle name.”

_ Smooth, Todd. Smooth as butter. Roy  _ and  _ Tim would be laughing so hard at you right now. _

The girl laughed. 

“So, ‘I go by Roy’, where are you headed?”

“Back to the states,” he replied, as he took the bag from her outstretched hand.

“Well, I hope you have a pleasant flight,” she said, smiling.

“Thanks, Mari,” he said, picking up the tank of gas. “Oh, and if you’re board,” he said on his way out the door, “look up #onlyingotham on any social media platform. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

******

Two weeks.

That’s how long the hospital in Ethiopia wanted to keep him. Two whole weeks before he would be cleared to fly to America, where  _ more  _ surgery awaited. As if the ten hours in the OR hadn’t been enough stress on Bruce. At least these people were kind enough to keep what was left of Jason’s domino mask on, which was lucky because they really  _ should  _ have removed it. So here he was, stuck as Batman, in Africa, waiting for his boy to wake up, to give some hope that he would survive, for two weeks

Bruce sighed, as he leaned back against the plastic folding chair the nurses had set up for him next to the bed. Besides the still unconscious Jay, the steady beep of the heart monitor, and the quiet drip of the IV were his only company. The doctors weren’t shocked he hadn’t woken up. They said that the more he rested the better, which put Bruce somewhat at ease.

Somewhat. 

There was always the nagging doubt in the back of his mind that Jay would  _ never _ wake up. That at some point in the next two weeks the heart monitor would stop beeping and instead play the dreaded, monotone symphony of death.

But Jay kept breathing. 

_ Through a frickin’ tube. _

But at least he was  _ breathing _ .

His comm buzzed static in his ear, before Alfred’s voice came through.

_ “How is he?” _ the old butler asked. 

Bruce sighed.

“He’s stable for now.”

There was a pause over the comms.

_ “Master Bruce, I doubt that Master Jason would give up easily. He’ll make it through. As will we all.”  _

“Names, Agent A.” Bruce reminded, because he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

_ “This line is secure,  _ Batman _. And have the Ethiopians learned English overnight?”  _ Alfred returned, not without a touch of sarcasm in his voice, 

Bruce sighed again in defeat. Alfred  _ did _ have a point. He had been speaking to the doctors in  Amharic, not English, and none of them showed any sign of knowing the language. But still, he wanted to be careful.

He looked over at Jason again.

Evidently, he hadn’t been careful enough.

_ “Anyways,”  _ Alfred continued.  _ “I believe some phone calls are in order.” _

_ Phone calls?  _ Bruce thought, confused.

_ “To Miss Gordon and Master Dick.”  _ Alfred clarified, as if knowing Bruce’s confusion.  _ “And whoever else you might want to notify of Master Jason’s condition.” _

And…  _ oh. _

“I assumed you had already made those calls.” Bruce replied, a tad sheepish. 

_ “Given the circumstances, I thought it best if they heard from you.”  _ Alfred countered. 

Bruce sighed, for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

“Nightwing is off-world, he won’t see anything I send him till he gets back.” 

_ “Well, I think he would be less mortified with you if he came back to see that you had at least tried to contact him about his injured brother regardless of his whereabouts. Moreover, this is not the kind of news that you send over text, Master Bruce. That is, if you want to start mending bridges. But what do I know, I’m a silly old man, who thinks that his charge will one day follow good advice.” _

Bruce chuckled despite the sting of Alfred’s words.

_ “Now go call your son, Master Bruce. And I expect you to leave a long and heartfelt voicemail.” _ with that, the crackling in the comm died out. 

Bruce sighed once more, leaning his head back and staring at the white-washed ceiling. 

_ It’s just so much,  _ he thought tiredly.

Bruce closed his eyes, letting everything fade for just a moment. Everything but the faint tones of Jason’s heart, tying him to existence.

As long as that heart kept beating….

*****

It was the evening when Barbara got the call. Late enough that her father had left for the station, but not late enough yet to start patrolling. 

Prime Homework Time, as she called it. 

And what was on the schedule tonight?

_Computer science,_ she thought, opening her laptop. _And what’s this?_ She thought as she pulled out a textbook, _Ah,_ _more Computer science. And blimey doesn’t it look like more Computer science again tomorrow._ She shook her head, thumbing quickly through her planner.

It’s not like that was a  _ bad  _ thing. Barbara loved the subject with a passion. It was just the sheer amount of the work that had her head spinning. 

_ I swear it’s like that professor thinks we aren’t taking any other classes besides his.  _

To be fair, at this point, she didn’t  _ have _ a whole lot of classes outside of the computer realm, and the classes that she  _ did _ have, weren’t really assigning that much homework, and it’s not like her professor could possibly know that she was also a part time vigilante. But still, it was a bit annoying. Barbara would love nothing more than to march into his class one day and teach that professor a thing or two. She probably could considering the ease at which she completed most of her assignments.

Her phone buzzed on the desk beside her, but she elected to ignore it while she got her programs set up and went to the kitchen for some snacks. 

Had she already eaten dinner? Yes.

Was she still hungry, a bit? Yes.

Was she mostly eating because she knew she was gonna be hungry during patrol and she needed the darn calories? 100% Yes and Yes.

Also: Doritos were tasty. 

It wasn’t until she had settled down in front of her computer with her Cool Ranch Doritos and her newly opened can of sprite, and wrapped a blanket around her legs that Barbara finally turned her attention back to her phone, which was, surprisingly, still buzzing.

_ Unknown Caller. _

Barbara’s blood pressure spiked. Because  _ unknown caller _ meant her vigilante life and that usually meant Bruce, 

Who had just left to follow a strange man.

A man that might have been a lead to Jason. 

(Yeah, Alfred had filled her in.)

And now Bruce, no,  _ Batman _ , was calling her on her  _ personal  _ cell phone, when he  _ knew  _ she would be on comms in a few hours. 

Whatever this was,  _ Batman _ thought  _ couldn’t _ wait.

She opened the call.

“Batman?” 

_ “Barbara,” _ and oh boy, he called her  _ Barbara _ .

“Did you find Jason?” she asked. No real reason to beat around the bush. 

_ “Yes.”  _

Barbara let out a huge sigh of relief.  _ He found him. He found Jason. _

“Is he safe?” she asked. There was a long pause, during which Barbara’s heart sunk into the bottom of her stomach. She wanted to stand and pace the room, feeling the nervous energy rising in her and tingling in her limbs, but her legs didn’t work. So she sat there, like a pile of wobbling Jell-O. Waiting.

She heard Bruce sigh over the phone and couldn’t take it any longer.

“Is Jay  _ safe _ ?!” she cried, her voice breaking on the last word. There was another pause, this one shorter than the last.

_ “He’s alive,” _ and didn’t those two words say it all.

She didn’t need to hear the implied ‘ _ for now’ _ at the end of that statement. She didn’t need to see the doctor reports. Actually, screw that, she needed to see those frickin’ doctors’ reports. She needed to see the x-rays and the MRI’s and whatever other tests they had done on Jason. She needed to read the illegible scrawly handwriting that would recommend prescriptions for him. 

Because Jason  _ would  _ get to that point. Jason was  _ not  _ going to die. Not if she had a say in the matter. 

_ Which I don’t,  _ Barbara thought darkly to herself. 

_ “Barbara?” _

Oh right, she was in the middle of a phone call.

“H-how,” she paused, pursing her lips and starting again, this time, willing the shakiness out of her voice. “How is he?”

_ “Unconscious,” _ Bruce reported,  _ “Coma-like state, which is to be expected considering…” _

_ Considering what happened to him,  _ Barabara finished in her head.

“Who did this,” she said, not trying to hide the murderous intent in her voice.

_ “Joker.” _

Babs breathed in deeply while she waited for her the red in her vision to fade. 

“What,” she continued, “did he do?” 

There was another pause and then,

_ “I could send you the medical reports if you’d like,” _

Which meant, it was either too many things to list over the phone or something so terrible he didn’t want to speak about it.

_ Or both. _

“Send them,” she stated, as emotionless as she could, because if she let any of her emotions out now, the dam would burst. 

_ “Alright,” _ he replied, but didn’t hang up.

“There’s something else,” she guessed.

Batman sighed. 

_ “They’re not letting him fly back for another two weeks, and _ –” there was another pause, and Babs could have sworn she heard a sniff over the phone.  _ “I can’t leave him, Babs.” _

That was all he had to say.

“I’ll do it” she replied, knowing she was going to have some late nights out in the city over the next two weeks.

_ “Thank you.” _

She nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see it. It was more to reassure herself than anything else, anyway.

_ “You have full access to the cave, and Agent A will run comms.” _

“Should I be worried about any  _ visitors _ ?” she asked. She heard Bruce sigh again. He was doing that a lot on this phone call. 

_ “I lost the man’s trail when I found Robin. He left Jay in the Batplane for me to find and took the Batwing. He’ll have to stop to refuel somewhere, so keep an ear out.” _

“Wait, _he_ left Jason in the Batplane?” she asked.

_ “The more I think about every encounter we’ve had with this man, the evidence points towards him knowing Robin’s location and deliberately leading me to him, but only  _ after _ he had found him himself.” _

“That’s…” What was that even? Creepy? Weirdly thoughtful? Arrogant? “Troubling,” she settled on. “And we know  _ nothing _ about him?” 

_ “If you have some extra time, why don’t you fix that,” _

And ‘no Bruce she  _ didn’t _ have extra time’ she now had longer patrol nights ahead of her, and college classes to keep up with while hiding her new work load from her dad. But Babs found herself saying: “I’ll do it”.

And–

It was  _ too much _ . 

She could feel the bundle of emotions rising in her, threatening to pour out her mouth in a silent, ear-shattering scream. 

She needed to hang up.

“Take care of yourself, Bruce.” she stuttered.

“You too, Barbara.” 

She hung up.

And the flood gates opened in the form of a pitiful, wailing sob. 

Jason, 

_ Her  _ Jason. 

All cocky smirks, and ‘I’ll-beat-you-up-so-fast-you-won’t-know-what hit-you’ Jason

Afternoons in the library and literary conversation partner Jason

New cookie recipe that ‘you-have-to-freaking-try-Babs’ Jason

Stubborn, wonderful, broken, beautiful Jason.

She could  _ lose _ him. 

Babs clutched the sides of her head, phone still in her hand as she sobbed, tears only coming a little while later. 

Her hands shook as she tried to brace herself on the desk and stand, because if she was going to have an emotional breakdown, at least she could have it on her bed where she’s comfortable.

She tried to stand and walked a few steps towards her bed before tripping up over her blanket and falling to her knees, bumping her bedside table in the process. 

The vase there wobbled before titering over the edge and breaking on impact with the floor, scattering the once red roses and leaving a squashy damp puddle on her carpet.

Babs cried even harder.

Because she  _ felt  _ like that vase.

Shattered.

Bleeding red.

Drowning in tears.

Her shaking hand picked up one of the nearly month old roses, carefully avoiding the thorns. 

They were a gift from Dick.

A sort of apology present. 

He had come to her before he left for some stupid mission and given her the flowers. He had probably said something sappy like ‘I miss you’ or ‘please don’t be mad’, but really stuck out to her was the last thing he said.

_‘Maybe things will be better when I get back.’_

Then he kissed her on the check and left.

At the time she didn’t know why that had stuck out to her, maybe because it was so soft. 

So real.

Right now, she remembered those words because things  _ weren’t  _ better. Things had only gotten worse.

Jason was hurt, and could die, and Bruce was cracking at the seams already and Dick just wasn’t here. 

And if anyone noticed, she couldn’t tell anyone why she was distraught. 

She was alone.

“SHIT!” Babs screamed as she hurled the phone in her hand at the wall. It slammed with a satisfying ‘thunk’ before falling onto the bed beneath it. 

Instead of soothing her pain it only made her cry harder. She sunk to the floor cradling the rose to her chest, wishing that it was somebody… anybody, but especially Dick or Jason.

****

She let herself cry for a good while before she looked up at her window and saw it was dark.

_ It’s time to patrol _ , a part of her thought dimly.

That thought alone was enough to make her start crying again. Maybe she could take a night off. Just one, to process. 

_ You’ve had time…and you’ll have more time, but later. There are things to be done, and putting your effort into those things… will help more than you think. _

“I can’t,” she whispered to herself in a horse, broken voice.

_ You’re Barbara Freaking Gordon  _ and  _ Batgirl! You  _ can _! Now get up off the floor and do your job! _

Well, if that wasn’t going to get her off the floor then nothing would.

Barbara slowly shifted to her hands and knees, taking deep breaths.

_ Crap, the vase  _ broke _ and I’ve been laying on the floor. _

She quickly checked herself over, but thankfully, she wasn’t injured. Slowly and shakily she got to her feet and found she could stand.

_ Good, now clean up the vase. _

She came back from the kitchen with a broom and dustpan. Yes this was  _ carpet _ , but it would help with the bigger pieces. She could always go back for a vacuum later. 

Once what was left of the vase was in the trash, the carpet had been vacuumed, and a towel was over the damp patch in the carpet, Babs gathered up the small bouquet of roses. Their striking red color had faded, leaving behind a reddish brown. 

She thought about throwing the roses away, but that would be a waste of all the time and effort she put into keeping them alive this long.

Barbara was a little angry at Dick, but not as much as before. It didn’t help that he was going on this mission with  _ Kory.  _

‘I-swear-we’re-just-friends’ Kory who had  _ obviously  _ been making moves on Dick since day one.

And Dick had done nothing other than to assure Babs that it was ‘all in good fun’. 

Babs couldn’t decide if Dick was really that naïve or if ….

So she was angry. 

Angry enough to break it off so that he could have what he wanted. 

The fact that he had tried to win her back was … a little unexpected.

He seemed confused as to why she broke up with him. 

Which fueled her anger, because how could he _not_ _know_?!

It wasn’t until he had shown up with the roses that she started feeling a little sorry for him.

And after a few days… she missed him.

Yes, Barbara was angry, but gosh darn it she missed him.

So she did what she could to keep the flowers alive, until he got back.

Roses weren’t supposed to last longer than a week in a vase, but she had stretched out the life span with some tips online. Babs didn’t know if she could make the roses last another week, but she couldn’t bear to throw them away either. 

So Barbara stood there for a while, holding the roses in the middle of the room, until she finally convinced herself to put them on the side table and deal with them later.

_ Now, go put on your suit _ , she thought to herself,  _ The night is young, my emotions are high, and there are some thugs that need a kick to the balls.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this one was a longer wait, but I hope the chapter made up for it.
> 
> Again, I want to thank my wonderful beta, PepperSoniRoni. Please go check out their ao3 and tumblr accounts. They deserve a lot of love.
> 
> ALSO, someone wrote a fic inspired by this one!!!! So please go check out TheQueerestWriter 's new fic, 'Blame the Portal', at the link below. (I hope the link works, if it doesn't you can copy and paste the link into the url)
> 
> So, stuff got REAL this chapter! I hope you guys liked it! I, for one, LOVED writing from Barbara's perspective and I hope you guys like my angst writing! 
> 
> Please leave a comment to let me know what you think, or ask a question! I love when you guys ask questions!
> 
> That's all for now, so keep reading & writing :)
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/26807977/chapters/65400088


	6. He Seems Like a Pun Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason wanted his debut to go off with a bang.  
> Speaking of bang, he was low on ammo.

Jason stood at the ready, his back against the wall of the outside of an abandoned apartment building.

 _Supposedly_ abandoned.

Jason smirked under his red helmet. The drug ring that set up base here wouldn’t know what hit them. 

After finding a rather inconspicuous spot near Gotham to land the Batplane, he had been patrolling Crime Alley, because honestly, that would be the first place his family would look for him. It also gave him something to do besides twiddle his thumbs. So what if it wasn’t up to Bruce’s time-travel protocols? Jason had already yeeted those protocols out of a window a long time ago.

He wasn’t patrolling openly of course, he wanted his debut as Red Hood to be more flashy than just ‘oh this rando in a red helmet started grappling through my neighborhood’. 

Oh no.

Jason wanted his debut to go off with a _bang_.

Speaking of bang, he was low on ammo. Which was part of the reason he was busting this joint anyway, but also because they thought it was ‘okay and all’ to make kids run their drugs, to sell _to other frickin’ kids_. 

HECK NO!

That was not gonna fly with him. 

On top of that, Jason had been scouting this building for a while, and it was in decent shape. With a little work It'd make a perfect safe house. 

Because as of the present moment, Jason was homeless. 

_Not for long though_ , Jason thought as he cocked his guns. 

He had three on him. Two for rubber bullets, and one for real bullets. Bruce would have a cow if he knew about the last one. 

Jason took a deep breath, preparing himself.

He couldn’t go in guns blazing like he usually did. 

He only had eleven rubber bullets, and there were definitely more than eleven thugs inside. Even with some fancy trick shots, Jason doubted he would be able to get them all. He had a couple of batarangs left and a few tricks up his utility belt, but none that would do a lot of damage. 

_Still_ , he thought as he pulled out three smoke pellets, _what I do have isn’t completely useless._

Jason opened the door slightly and tossed the pellets in. He waited ten seconds before slipping in the door himself. 

The smoke had filled the room as well as the dumbfounded exclamations of the ten or so thugs in this room. Jason locked the door he entered in and slunk around the edges of the room, locking every exit.

Sure, it wasn’t his usual style. But he’d get to that part of his plan later.

Once the doors were locked, Jason set to work sneaking behind each thug, silently knocking them out, and zip tying them. It was almost rather tedious work, but after a while, once the thugs started figuring out what was going on, it did get a bit more interesting. Especially when they started firing at each other. Jason hit the deck as soon as it started, crawling along the ground and sweep-kicking his victims to get on with his work. He could tell he was almost done with this room, when a stray bullet bit into his shoulder.

_Frick._

Jason bit down on his lip to keep down a yelp of pain. He couldn’t give away his position. Besides, it was just his shoulder, he could take a look at it later. Jason took a deep breath and steeled himself, as went to take down the last couple thugs. 

Once all thugs were zip-tied and accounted for, Jason sat down to take a look at the wound. Most of the smoke still hung in the air, but the dim moonshafts coming in from the windows offered enough light for him.

 _Well it didn’t look like it hit any major arteries,_ Jason thought as he looked at the wound. _The bullet didn’t go all the way through though._ Crap _, that’s going to be a pain to fish out_. 

Later, though. He had a job to finish first.

Fortunately, Jason had some bandages on him, so he pulled off his leather jacket and tied the bandage tightly around the wound before slipping his jacket back on and standing up. 

He’d have to be more careful now, though. Jason couldn’t afford a failure due to blood loss. 

Slowly, Jason went to the door he knew led to a long hallway and opened it. The previously trapped smoke billowed out of the door and went before Jason like an ominous herald. 

There was no one in the hallway to see the terrifying sight, but the smoke did start seeping under door frames of the different apartments, causing a lot of frantic yelling coming from inside. Jason was about to have a _lot_ of company. 

A door burst open and he started firing.

 _Eleven_. 

The rubber bullet hit the first guy in the leg, breaking the bone. He shouldn’t be too much trouble for a while. The man fell to the floor with a cry of agony, causing all his buddies behind him to trip over his prone body. It wasn’t too hard to take care of them while they were down. Just as he was finishing up with that room’s thugs, another door burst open.

Jason kicked the first thug back into the others, sending them flying back into the room. He shut the door behind him and went to work.

It was difficult as these goons were armed and could see him coming, meaning he had to put a lot of the gymnastic moves he had begrudgingly learned from Dick to use. This resulted in another bullet grazing his calf and about a dozen unconscious, zip-tied thugs. Right about when he was finished the door burst down.

 _Ten_. He shot the first thug that came through the door so he would have time to prepare himself for the rest of them. Jason made his way over to the door and kicked the next guy in the stomach, pushing him into the woman behind him. He stepped through the doorway and reached out to twist the arm of a red headed man. Jason dislocated the man’s shoulder and shoved him into a bigger looking man that Jason did not want to deal with at the moment. As he punched a burnette in the nose, he saw a few guys at the end of the hall aiming some rifles at him.

_Nine._

_Eight._

_Seven._

He hit them all, but dang, that was three bullets down the hatch. Jason needed to start getting more creative with his shots.

He elbowed an idiot who he heard trying to sneak up behind him with a knife. Jason twisted the man’s wrist and caught the knife as he dropped it, Sending it flying into the arm of a tough looking woman making her way towards him. Then Jason swung the idiot into a man just making his way out of a different door way.

Another door opened on the other side of the hall and Jason kicked it back into the oncomer, without looking to see who it was. A bald man tried to punch him in the gut, but Jason grabbed the guy by the arm and twisted it behind his back. He looked up and saw a larger group of thugs running towards him.

He looked from the crowd to the bald man, then back to the crowd.

 _Oh_ heck _yes._

He hoisted the bald man up and chucked him towards the group.

“YEET!” 

The man slammed down on them like a crowd surf gone wrong. 

Okay, this was still a mission, but maybe he could have a little fun with it.

Jason marched up to a door at the end of the hall and kicked it down.

“Let there be fight!”

He was answered with a shot to the lower abdomen. 

_FRICK THAT FREAKING HURTS!!!! I SERIOUSLY NEED TO FIND A DOCTOR!!!!_

However, he kept his calm.

"Aw for me?” Jason asked, putting a hand to his chest. He used his other hand to shoot the offender point blank. _Six._ “You shouldn't have.” 

Another man tried to shoot him, but Jason hit the deck and shot him in the foot. _Five._ He wouldn’t be walking on that any time soon.

A man tried to pin him down, but he grabbed the man by the wrists.

"I don't really like having fights going downhill,” he said to the man above him, “but sometimes…” Jason rolled, flipping the man over and knocking him out. “You just gotta roll with the punches.”

The gun-toting vigilante got to his feet and blocked a blow a black haired dude tried to aim at his ribs.

“What? Not even a pity laugh?” he asked before knocking the guy in the teeth. 

“I go through all this trouble,” Jason went on as he kicked a girl in the shin, “of finding quality fighting quip material,” He flung a man into one of the gunmen, “and I don’t even get a pity laugh?” he asked the room at large as he dove for cover behind a desk. “Even a slight chuckle will do,” he said, taking out a batarang and taking a quick peek above the desk to aim, “People just can’t appreciate good comedy nowadays.” He threw the batarang at the far wall of the room. “I’m just wasting my talent here.”

BOOM.

Jason got up from behind the desk, surveying the desolation. Most of the offenders were knocked out, but a select few were still conscious, moaning on the ground in pain. Oh, also there was a wall missing.

“Oh, are you renovating?” he asked, as he stepped between unconscious or immoble bodies. “Loved what you’ve done with the place. I’ve always said you needed a more open floor plan.”

He picked his way over to the hole in the wall and stepped through. There wasn’t anyone in this room. Jason looked back at the room of groaning people behind him. They wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon, so he wouldn’t need to zip tie them.

He made his way back to the hallway and exited the hallway. He entered into a small, empty lobby area with a front desk and a few lounge corners, one of which had an unfinished card game on the table. 

_They must have run into the hallway when they heard the commotion,_ Jason thought.

He made his way to the door on the other side of the room. It opened to a different hallway. He opened a door and came face to face with a large man. 

“Um, how’d you like a magazine subscription?”

He ducked as the man tried to clobber him in the face.

“Hey,” he exclaimed, kicking the guy back into the room, “I have the fight of way,”

A smaller man to his left pulled out a gun. He didn’t have time to deal with both Crusher and Tiny.

 _Four_. 

Tiny went down in a yell of pain as the bullet hit his thigh. Jason dodged another wild punch from Crusher as the man got to his feet. 

“Y’know violence isn’t always the answer,” Jason said, before he landed two solid hits on the man’s stomach and finished him off with a kick to the face. “But it’s a darn good solution.”

Jason walked over to the quivering man on the floor. He kicked the gun away from Tiny, and crouched down next to him.

“That looks painful.” he said to the man, a malicious glee filling him, “Let me help you with that” he got up and kicked Tiny in the wounded leg. The man screamed. Jason thought he felt a little give in the man’s leg. 

_Probably just a fracture. No worries._

“Now it’s downright _agonizing_. You’re welcome.” 

Jason looked around the room.

_Ah, so this is where they keep their drugs._

“Seriously?” he asked Tiny, “You only had two guys guarding your drugs?”

“Well, there were more before they went off to see what all the noise was.” Tiny replied.

Jason laughed. “Yep I’m the resident noise maker here, but if you don’t like it, you have to file a formal complaint at the front desk.”

“Please, don’t kill me.”

“As long as you stay there and don’t try to stop me,” he said, walking towards the door (he could deal with the drugs later) “we won’t have any problems.”

The man nodded frantically.

Jason left the room and searched the rest of the hallway, but there was no one else there.

_Did I actually get all the guys on this floor?_

“Dang it, I’m good.” he muttered appreciatively to himself. _Or these guys are just_ bad _… Nah, take the ego boosts when you can get them, Todd._

Jason made his way back to the lobby and headed towards the elevator. He pressed the up button and waited. It was only a two story building, so he could say he was half done at this point.

_Which is great considering I have three bullet wounds._

Jason paused.

 _Oh_ Crap _! I have three bullet wounds!_

The elevator dinged and opened to reveal two guys with guns.

_Too late!_

_Three._

He hit the first man on the upper arm at an angle that ricocheted off and hit the other man’s arm as well. They each grabbed their respective arms, and Jason used their weakness to knock them both out. He stepped into the elevator, and slammed the emergency stop button. The anti-hero needed time to patch himself up before facing whatever was upstairs.

 _Probably more guys with an ego unproportionate to their abilities._ He thought as he slumped down in a corner of the small elevator.

Jason pulled out some more gauze to wrap the two new bullet wounds. The calf wound hurt like the dickens, but it didn’t look too serious.

_As long as I get some meds to fight infection, it should be fine._

The gun wound to the torso, was a bit more concerning. The bullet also didn’t go all the way through, and he didn’t even know if it had hit anything important.

 _Well, of course it did. It hit_ ME _!_

Jason wrapped it as best he could, but it was going to cause him some serious problems later if he didn’t see someone about it. Like _tonight_.

 _Dang this career._ Jason thought as he made it to his feet and stopped the emergency lockdown and pressed the button for the second floor. Jason got out his gun with the remaining two rubber bullets. A moment later the elevator dinged and he was met with a hallway of, you guessed it, more thugs. _Ah, but I love this job._

Jason rolled out of the elevator as the bullets flew above him. He ended his roll in front of a red headed girl, whom he sweep kicked and yeeted her gun back towards the elevator. He threw a non-explosive birdragn a different man, disarming him of his gun. Jason got up and elbowed another man. He took a knife from the man’s pocket and hit a different man in the hand, pinning him to the wall and making him drop his gun.

There were no more gun’s left. The rest of them had knives, although there was one guy with a baseball bat. Classic.

Suddenly, a man walked out of one of the apartment rooms with bleary eyes in nothing but a pair of jeans. 

“Little help here, Brainless?” called the man with the knife in his hand.

Brainless slowly surveyed the room, not fully registering what the man had said. Either this guy was drunk, or he just woke up.

Jason punched a girl with a knife and sent it flying towards the bigger man with the baseball bat. 

“You seriously, gonna stand there and do nothing?” asked a voice from behind Jason. _Dang it. That red headed chick must have gotten up._

He spun around.

“Hey,” he said to the woman, lifting his arms, “check out my guns!” The woman stammered for a moment, and even blushed a little. _Still got it!_

Then he shot her in the leg.

_Two._

The man in jeans seemed to finally realise what was going on. But instead of decking Jason, he burst out laughing. 

“I’m gonna freakin kill you after this.” one of the last uninjured, conscious thugs announced.

“I’m sorry,” laughed Jeans man, as he dug around in his pocket and pulled out a knife. He lunged for Jason, still laughing, but Jason sidestepped him. 

“I guess you could say it’s knife to meet you.” said Jeans man.

 _He did_ not _just say that._

Jason dodged another swipe from him and kicked a different thug that was trying to get up while he was at it.

“You are probably wondering,” said Jeans man,

“Fricking stop talking,” said the other man.

“Why am I doing this?” continued Jeans man. “Well, it’s rather a long story, so I’ll cut to the chase and get to the point.”

 _Is he serious?_ Jason thought gleefully as he kicked the other man down the hallway.

“I guess you could say I’m the world’s funniest broke, and knife’s too short, so I decided to spend some quality crime with my out-laws.”

Jason chuckled.

"Y'know, for a drug dealer, you crack me up!" he said.

“Don’t encourage him!” said the man getting up from across the hall.

“Why not?” Jason asked, “He seems like a _pun_ guy.”

Jason dodged the knife the other man threw at him. He picked it up and turned back towards the other man, he wasn’t even worried about an attack coming from Pun Guy at the moment.

“Should I keep this or is it pointless?” he asked the other man.

“I’m gonna kill you!” 

“Well that’s just Ridi-kill-ous!” Jason replied.

“Now that’s what I call overkill,” Pun Guy replied.

The man reached for one of the fallen guns and aimed at Pun Guy.

_One._

Jason shot the last gunman in the stomach and watched with glee as he doubled over dropping his gun. 

Pun guy stared at him. 

“You saved me,” he said

“Yeah, well that guy was being an A+ jerk,” Jason replied.

“Who are you?”

“The Red Hood.”

The man’s eyes got big as saucers.

“ _You’re_ the _Joker_?”

Jason laughed humorlessly.

“Joker’s dead.” Jason remarked, “I killed him,”

“Holy Sh-”

“Shh,” Jason cut off, as he put his hands over the man pinned to the wall by his hand, “Not in front of the _children_.” he exclaimed, scandalized.

“You can take whatever you want,” said Pun Guy, dropping his knife, “I mean it. I’m just a guy trying to make a buck.”

Jason thought for a moment. 

_This would be a good way to start building a reputation. Besides, he could be useful._

“How ‘bout you stop selling to frickin’ kids, and come make a buck working for me?”

“Wh-why would you do that,” he asked.

“Eh, I liked the puns.” Jason remarked

Pun Guy smiled. 

“I have plenty more,”

Yes, this was definitely a good investment. “Good, but not now. Where’s your boss?”

“You gonna kill him, too?” asked Pun Guy. 

“Why would I kill him, when I can _embarrass_ him?   
******

This city was going to be the death of him. Detective Bullock was convinced of this. Because the man responsible for a new drug that had been going around and started having a casualty count, was duct-taped to an office chair that was hanging upside down from a lamppost, and according to the note, it was not one of the bats’ doing.

“What’s that?” asked his partner, Detective Montoya, gesturing to the said note he was holding.

He just handed it to her. He had already read it ten times over.

_‘Found this hanging around. If you work hard, he might crack.’_

_–Red Hood’_

“What’s this mean?” his partner asked.

“It means we have another player,” he replied.

“Who do we go to about this?” she asked.

Harvey pulled out his phone and clicked on a contact.

“Who are you calling?” Montoya asked, as the phone rang.

“Commissioner, sir?” he answered when Jim picked up, “We have something you might want to bring up with the Bat.”

******

“What was the point of that?” asked Pun Guy, as they watched the cops from a window of his car.

“Reputation,” Jason replied. “Now, unless you like blood on your upholstery, can you drive me to the back door of the free clinic.”

“You sure?” Pun Guy asked, “I heard the head doctor there is hard as–”

“I can handle her,” Jason said, while silently praying that Leslie wouldn’t get wise and recognize him. 

_Who am I kidding, I’m screwed._

“Just drive,” Jason said, “Before I pass out in your back seat.”

*****

“We’re here,” said Pun Guy, about fifteen minutes later.

Jason looked out the window, and there it was, in all it’s former (and he really did mean _former_ ) glory. 

“You gonna be okay?” Pun Guy asked,

“I always am.” Jason replied lazily as he opened the car door.

_Dang it the blood loss must be catching up with me._

“See ya ‘round Pun Guy,” he said as he made his way to the back door.

“Wait, how will I find you again?” he asked.

“ _I_ find _you_. For now, keep an ear open.” Jason said as he made his way further down the alley where the back door was. 

Part way down the alley he had to start leaning against the wall.

 _Crap, crap, crap,_ crap _._

He finally made it to the door and knocked loudly.

He leaned back against the wall next to the door, and his legs decided that they were done, so he slid to the ground.

The door opened a moment later, flooding the alley with light.

“Hey doc, how do you feel about shots?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry it's been a while, but I hope you like this extra long, chapter with extra puns (I just made that sound like a food order) 
> 
> Anyway, first off, I NEED to thank my wonderful beta for everything they do for this fic! They did so much to help with this chapter including finding puns and motivating me to write! So please go check out their stuff (their ao3 and tumblr links are in the notes of the 1st chapter)
> 
> I also want to thank @Phi on my batman discord server for the 'check out my guns!' joke. It was wonderful, and I thought I should credit them for it!
> 
> So this chapter was a lot longer, and I think the rest of my chapters are going to be a least this long or longer(but I might be wrong). I hope that doesn't annoy people. 
> 
> I know a lot happened with the Batfam last chapter, so I'm glad I got to focus back in on Jason for a bit. It is kinda his fic after all. But don't worry, I plan for the Batfam to show back up next chapter.
> 
> Anyway, PLEASE leave a comment if you like the fic, or if you have a favorite part, OR (my favorite) if you have QUESTIONS/Theories!!!! I love you're questions! I promise I will answer every single one, but I can't promise that all of my answers will be helpful (hee hee).
> 
> Also, if you like my stuff, feel free to follow me on tumblr @StarryStories2 on my blog Constellations, where I put some random thoughts, reblog other peoples' stuff, and ocationally talk about my original story.
> 
> That's about it, so until next time, keep reading & writing :)


	7. I, Jason Todd, will not be stupid for a whole week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason hadn’t meant to pass out. Especially after making such a good pun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta told me to say that readers should have a box of tissues ready. So..... you better go get some.

Jason hadn’t  _ meant  _ to pass out. Especially after making  _ such a good pun _ . He’d wanted to see Leslie’s reaction. Come to think of it, did he even see if Leslie was the one to open the door? It’d be kinda awkward if it wasn’t her. 

Jason slowly opened his eyes. Yet unlike every cliche ‘waking up in a hospital’ trope ever, there was no gentile monitor beeping nor IV in his arm. Which explained the pain exploding in his abdomen. 

“Why am I not on pain meds?” He muttered to himself, slowly blinking.

“You don’t like pain meds,” answered a feminine voice from his left. Jason turned and saw a stone-faced woman with faded blonde hair, instead of the silver he was used to. She was typing something on a computer, not sparing him a glance. Jason relaxed. Well, as much as one could relax around Dr. Leslie  _ freaking _ Thompkins. “At least not through an IV or needle.” she continued, “You prefer pills which I am going to give you now that you are conscious, Jason.”

Jason’s brain stuttered to stop.

_Oh_ _no._

“Pardon?”

“Pills, Jason. Take them or I will find whoever shot at you and make them finish the job.”

“I’m not … Jason.”

Leslie turned from her computer to raise an eyebrow at him. “If you’re going to lie to me, at least lie in an un-Jason-like way.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know how to do that, because I’m not Jason.”

Leslie sighed as she stood from where she was sitting, grabbed a pill bottle from the desk, and walked over to the sink.

“You can be difficult about this if you want,” she said as she filled a tiny paper cup with water, “Or you can swallow your pride and save us both a lot of trouble.”

Jason blinked.

“Alright, I’ll be honest with you, I really don’t know if you’re talking about the pills or the Jason issue.”

Leslie’s eye twitched.

“I should have left you on that street corner where I found you.”

Jason grinned. “But ch’ya  _ didn’t _ !”

“Do you really want to aggravate the woman with the needles?” the doctor asked.

Jason remained silent.

“Didn’t think so,” she declared. “Now sit up and take your meds before I shove them down your throat.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jason replied quietly as he sat up to follow her instructions.

He was in the middle of swallowing when Leslie said, rather plainly:

“You died.”

Jason nearly spit the pills back up.

“You-”  _ cough _ “were waiting till I-”  _ cough  _ “was drinking for that.”

He could hear the smirk in her voice. “Had to get my revenge somehow, and it was hard to miss the autopsy scar.”

Jason sighed. He should’ve known that Leslie would a) see right past his bullcrap and b) notice the  _ freaking autopsy scar _ .

“Based on what I’ve seen, you’re a walking miracle, Jason. You’ve obviously died, but here you are strutting around and getting shot just like my Jason would. And then there’s the matter that you are much older than you are supposed to be.”

Jason paused, considering what to say. “It’s a long story,” he settled on.

“I expect so, but I don’t want to hear it.”

“What?”

“Time-travel or Dimension travel?” she sighed. “I knew it would happen eventually with all the crazy shenanigans Bruce gets up to. So which is it?”

“Time-travel? I  _ think _ ?”

“How long till you get sent back?”

“Uhhh….”

Leslie sighed. “Keep your head down, and for once  _ don’t _ cause any trouble, there could be some nasty repercussions. I have a few articles prepared for situations like this and you’re not going to leave without them.”

_ Nailed the staying out of trouble bit didn’t I? _

“What kind of nasty repercussions are we talking about, doc?” he asked, even though he already knew most of them.

“Off the top of my head: time ceasing to exist, erasing timelines, creating timelines, time loops, most of these are theoretical though. But you won’t have to worry about any of them because you’re not going to be making any major changes to the timeline, are you Jason.”

_ Frick. _

“Are you, Jason!”

“Um, define major changes?”

Leslie’s eyebrows were dangerously high, and her pursed lips parted to cut out, “Jason Peter Todd, what have you done!”

“I thought you didn’t want to know?” he tried.

“You’re right I don’t. Keep it to yourself, but whatever you do, fix it. I don’t care how, just make sure reality Does. Not. Collapse.”

Jason cringed. “Alright alright, jeez, I’ll try not to cause an inter-timeline incident.”

“At least say it like you mean it, Jason.”

“Well, it’s not like I want to undo what I did. I doubt anyone here would want me to undo what I did. So I’m open to suggestions, doc!”

Leslie sighed, closing her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Ah, so that’s where Bruce got it.

“Very well, go back to wherever it is you’re staying. Rest. Recover. Do your research. When you come back in a week for a follow up I want to hear the  _ thrilling _ details of what you have discovered.”

“Your wish is my command, doc.” Jason gave a mock salute.

Leslie seemed to be resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “And try to keep away from your younger self, we don’t want a rip in the space time continuum.”

“That one’s a myth, doc, you won't have to worry about that.”

She gave him a strange look.

“What? I’m from the _ future _ , doc. I’ve dealt with time travel before.”

“And yet you’ve  _ somehow _ managed to screw up like a  _ novice _ .”

Jason winced. “First of all:  _ ouch _ . Second of all, you’re  _ really _ not one to talk about being a novice in the time travel department. Third of all, I’m usually the one on the other side trying to help people get back, not the one actually trying to get back. So... yeah!”

Leslie leveled him with a stare that would make Batman jealous.

“First of all, you should have known better. Second of all you should have known better. And third of all you  _ should have known better _ . Now get your sorry excuse for brains out of my clinic before I decide to call Batman on you - and I better not see you patrolling for another few weeks or I’ll deal with you  _ myself _ .”

“Yes, ma’am” Jason gulped as he rose from the bed.

He headed for the back door, but before he reached it, felt a hand on his shoulder.

Jason turned around.

“Just…” Leslie started, before pulling him into a hug.

Jason froze for a moment, but then returned it. Leslie stepped back.

“Don’t be stupid, alright?” she asked.

Jason sighed.

“Okay, just for you I’ll make an exception.” Jason raised his hand, and placed the other on his heart, “I, Jason Todd, will not be stupid for a whole week. How does that sound?”

She smiled. 

“Like wishful thinking, now scram.”

*****

“Excuse me, did someone order a solved intergalactical incident with a side of pure awesomeness?” Dick asked as soon as he stepped through the zeta tube. “Cuz we got it!” He finished holding his hand to do a no-look-high-five with Wally. He was particularly proud of himself for thinking of that, and also of how awesome that high-five turned out to be. 

However, instead of the cheers, eyerolls, and smiles he was expecting, the occupants of the Watchtower were oddly quiet.

_ Something’s wrong. _

He scanned the room and saw that none of them would look him in the eye. Not even Superman. 

_ Something is  _ very  _ wrong. _

“What? Do I have something on my face?” The young man asked, trying to lighten the mood.

His quip appeared to have the opposite effect as the occupants of the room looked more uncomfortable and a few even left the room.

Dick could see Wonder Woman give Superman a look, to urge him on. He sighed and flew over in their direction. 

“Why don’t the rest of you hit the showers,” Dick said to the others, “I’ll handle the post-op” he got nervous nods from the rest of the team and Kory planted a kiss on his cheek before she left. 

“Nightwing,” Superman greeted.

“Superman,” he returned.

Clark _ fidgeted _ before sighing: “Batman called you while you were away.”

Dick straightened.  _ What did Bruce want? _

“You should head home,” Clark continued, “I can make Wally handle post-op.”

Dick frowned before it suddenly all clicked and his stomach dropped.

_ People being strictly uncomfortable around him.  _

_ Like they all know something he doesn’t. _

_ A phone call from  _ Bruce. 

_ When he  _ knew _ Dick was off world. _

_ Superman telling me to go home,  _ Dick thought, _ and I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean Blüdhaven. _

Nightwing turned right around and nearly sprinted back into the zeta tube. He’d have to stop at Blüdhaven first to pack and check his phone before he drove to the manor.

****

Fifteen minutes later, Dick nearly flung his packed bag in the back before slamming the car door and getting in the driver’s seat. He set his phone in the passenger seat and buckled himself in before setting off on the thirty minute drive from Blüdhaven to Gotham. 

“Siri, play voice mail from Bruce.”

‘Playing all voice mails from Bruce’

“ _ Dick I-” _

_ “I know you won’t hear this till you get back but, I–” _

_ “I know we haven’t-” _

_ “I-” _

Dick swallowed back, held back his rising panic, and tried to focus on driving. Bruce sounded so unsure, so unlike himself.

_ “I’m sorry. I- You were right. I don’t listen. Not to you, not to Jay-” _

His heart clenched, waiting in anticipation for what he’d begun to suspect. Because someone was injured - badly. Maybe  _ worse _ than injured. And if Bruce was the one calling...

_ “Jay’s hurt, Dick.”  _

Dick expected waves upon waves of emotion to drown him, but instead, he just felt hollow. Like someone had taken a knife and carved a piece out of him. 

_ “He– he ran into the Joker, alone. He– it’s my fault. He wanted to meet his birth mother... in Ethiopia... and didn’t think– didn’t think I’d listen to him–” _

_ “He went without me and–” _

Dick had to slam down on the brakes to avoid the car in front of him. Maybe it was a bad idea to listen to this on the road.

_ “I wasn’t there.”  _

Dick gasped like he’d been punched in the gut. His now open mouth tasted salty water. He didn’t realize when he had started crying.

_ “He’s-” _

“Please,” Dick whispered, “don’t be dead. Please, Jason, come back–”

_ “He’s alive.” _

Air rushed into his lungs, and he could breathe again. But with the air came the waves of emotion he had previously expected. A car behind him honked loudly at him.

_ “Alfred and Barbara have details on how.” _

_ Alfred, Babs. Frick. This will break them. Both of them.  _

_ “I just–” _

Dick hung off the words with bated breath. They were so full of hurt, so full of uncertainty. Bruce hadn’t spoken like that for a while. At least … not to him.

_ “He’s not waking up, Dick. The doctors say that’s normal and that he’s healing, but–” _

Dick sucked in another breath, then slowly released it.

Then another.

And another.

He couldn’t stop.

_ “He’s not waking up.” _

Dick’s hands shook. He couldn’t keep a grip on the wheel anymore.

_ Jay wouldn’t wake up. They wouldn’t wake up. I shook them and cried for them, but they wouldn’t wake up. They couldn’t wake up. Wake up. Wake up.  _ Wake up!

_ “I-” _

A car swerved in front of him unexpectedly. He turned to avoid it. 

_ I need to get off the road,  _ now!

_ “Dick.” _

He managed to get to the side of the highway without causing a wreck. Which itself was a miracle considering his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Dick turned off the ignition and leaned his head back on the head rest, letting the tears run down his face and the sobs wreck him.

_ “If you could be there.” _

_ I was there. I saw it all. I saw them fall, fall,  _ fall _. I  _ always _ see them fall. I’m never the one who falls. _

_ “They're not letting him leave the country for another two weeks.” _

_ When did this happen? How long had...had his brother been like this? _

_ “You don’t have to stick around when I come back.” _

A broken, choked laugh escaped his lips. It sounded crazed as it pierced through his tears. Bruce, still trying to give him space. Why were they even fighting? Did it even matter anymore?

_ “Just… be there, for Alfred and Barbara. Please.”  _

_ Babs.  _ Dick wished she was here. Wished they could have found out together, so they’d both have someone to comfort them. He missed her. He wanted her here.

_ “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.” _

_ “I hope you know that.” _

Dick’s tears came down in rivers and didn’t stop. His breaths came in and out much too quickly and didn’t stop. His hands shook over the steering wheel and didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

Wouldn’t stop. Stop, stop, stopstopstopstop.  _ Stop! _

_ “We love you, Dick.” _

Another shattering cry burst out of him. Dick rested his head on the steering wheel.

_ “I…  _ I _ love you.” _

And….

_ And _ ….

Something in Dick crumbled. 

“Dad,” he sobbed, curling in on himself. His whole body was shaking.

_ “Just… please.” _

__ Dick wrapped his arms around his shoulders, trying to keep himself from shaking.

_ “Come back safe.” _

“Jay!” he wailed, clutching the fabric of his shirt. “Dad! Please!” he sobbed even though he knew Bruce couldn’t hear him. Even though he was  _ alone _ .

_ “Come back.” _

_ “Please.” _

_ “I can’t -” _

_ “I’m not ready to lose a son.” _

There was a deep sigh and then the voicemail ended, and Dick knew deep down that Bruce wasn’t just talking about Jason.

****

It was just after her last class that day that Barbara’s phone rang. She did a double take when she saw Dick’s name on the caller id.

_ He’s back? _

She answered the call.

_ “Babs?”  _ he asked in a broken, panicked voice. One she knew all too well. 

“Dick!” she gasped slightly, brows furrowing at his tone, “Are you okay?”

_ “Babs. I– I know…. about Jay. Please, Babs. I don’t know what to do.” _

Barbara’s expression melted as her heart broke for the former Boy Wonder.  _ He would have just found out, and he’s alone. Like I was. That can’t be good. _

“Dick, where are you,” she asked, injecting strength into her voice that she didn’t quite feel.

_ “I– I tried to drive to the manor, but–” _

Barbara’s heart stopped.

“Dick, are you on the road right now?”

_ “I thought I’d listen to Dad’s voice mail on the way. I didn’t make it five minutes.” _

Okay. There was a lot to unpack there. First of all, Bruce had actually left Dick a voicemail telling him what had happened and Dick found out that way instead of from the string of texts she’d sent him. As important as that was, Barbara tucked the news away for later, the other information seeming more pressing. Secondly, Dick called Bruce dad, which he hasn’t done for a while. Thirdly, he sounded emotionally wrecked. And fourthly, he was five minutes out from his apartment which put him on the highway. 

Oh, and he’s emotionally wrecked.

Barbara sucked in a breath.

“Dick, honey, are you okay?”

_ “Babs,” _ he croaked.

Barbara clenched her jaw. She needed to find him,  _ right now _ !

“I’m coming to get you,” she decided as she began power walking towards her car, “Do you think you can drive back to your apartment?”

_ “I– I don’t know. Babs- I can’t–” _

“Dick, I love you,” she said as she tucked her phone between her head and her shoulder as she unlocked her car, “but I need you to be brave, alright?”

_ “Jay, Babs, he fell, I couldn’t catch him.” _

“Dick,” Barbara implored as she sat down in the driver’s seat and closed the car door behind her. She gripped the wheel hard with one as she turned the key and started the car, “Jason’s gonna be okay. He’s gonna be okay, and you're going to smother him with hugs and spoil him with ice cream and pizza and movie nights, and it’s going to be okay. Do you believe me?”

_ “I–” _

“Do you believe me?”

There was a pause.

_ “Yeah, I believe you.” _

Barbara let out a deep breath as she turned out of the parking lot.

“Alright, I’m on my way. I want you to stay on the phone with me, okay?”

“ _ O-okay, _ ” he said in a shaky, halting voice.

Barbara turned her phone on speaker and dropped it in the passenger’s seat. She just had to talk him through driving back to his apartment, and calm him down for the next thirty minutes. 

She could do this.

*****

Barbara barreled through the entrance to Dick’s apartment, barely restraining herself from kicking down the door instead of using the spare key Dick had given her.

He was curled up on the sofa, clutching one of his thousands of throw pillows. Barbara went straight for the man and wrapped her arms around his shaking body, because if anything could calm Richard Grayson down, it was a hug. 

Dick quickly abandoned the pillow in exchange for pulling her into his lap and holding her to his chest. 

“Babs” he whispered, and  _ oh  _ he sounded so broken.

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.”

“It’s not,” he sobbed, “he fell.”

“Jason didn’t fall,” she tried, as she held back her own tears, “he’s still alive, Dick.”

“I wasn’t there,” he said into her hair.

“It’s not your fault, Dick.” she stated as clearly as she could, twining her fingers comfortingly in his hair in an attempt to ground him.

“But I–”

“It is  _ not _ your fault.”

She felt Dick clutch her tighter and bury his head further into her shoulder.

“Are you still mad at me?” he asked softly.

Barbara nearly laughed with the whiplash the conversation took, but managed to stop herself.

Am _ I still mad at him? _

She could feel him tense as she debated her answer.

“Not mad enough to send you away,” she decided. Barbara kissed the top of his head, and he sighed. “We can talk about it later. Now have you eaten anything?” she asked.

“I couldn’t.”

“Shh, that’s alright. Are you packed?”

He nodded into her neck.

“Alright, I’ll be right back,” Barbara said as she tried to escape his hold. She should have known better, as Dick only held on tighter.

“Honey, you need food and a full glass of water before we leave, and I need to get them for you.”

“I’m sorry, I just need…” he trailed off as he hugged her closer.

Barbara turned in Dick’s hold and lay back against him. He wrapped his arms around her middle and placed his head back in the junction between her neck and shoulder.

They just sat there for a while, not saying or doing anything. Just resting.

“I missed you,” Dick said after a while.

Barbara’s eyes watered as she replied.

“I missed you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I know it's been a bit, but I finally churned out another chapter!  
> Hopefully, with winter break around the corner, I'll be able to write a bit more consistently, but again, knowing myself, I can't make you any promises.
> 
> I want to give a HUGE thank you to my beta, PepperSoniRoni.  
> You guys have no idea! She unleashed her beta powers on this chapter and made it AWESOME! This fic would not be in exisitance without her. So please, go check out her  
> [tumblr](https://peppersonironi.tumblr.com/) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperSoniRoni/pseuds/PepperSoniRoni) accounts!
> 
> I also want to thank each and every one of you for reading and to those of you who took the time to write some comments! I love hearing from you, whether it's just a 'hey I loved the chapter,' or if you have theories or a favorite part, I love all of it! I'm glad people are liking this fic so much. I honestly didn't think it would actually get this much attention, this being the first thing I've writen on ao3. Thank you all for being so suportive and positive!  
> I will say, that if you do have critizism, that I welcome it! I only ask that you please express your critic or complaint civially. 
> 
> So, this chapter. There was some comedy, there was some angst. Leslie made her first appearence! I promise, she will come back every now and again and be the lone voice of reason amoung all the crazy masked vigilantees. There were some more Dick/Babs moments! I hope you guys liked that! I honestly don't want their relationship to be the focus of this fic, it just so happenes that this is a good oppertunity in the story for their relationship to shine. This chapter was a little angst heavy (hense the tissue warning at the beginning), but I will comfort you with the fact that the next chapter will be VERY comedic. So chin up! I know I ripped out your heart this chapter, but I'm not going to burn it to ashes before your eyes(yet), I'm not an animal. :)
> 
> Also, a lot of you in the comments expressed how much you loved Pun Guy. I'm very glad as he is the first of probably many original characters that will show up in this story. Also, I promise that Pun Guy will return in this fic! I will not forget him, I promise!
> 
> Anyway, thank you all so much for your support and love! And an extra thank you to all of you who haven't given up reading this incredibly long note! Please feel free to check out my tumblr account [here](https://starrystories2.tumblr.com/), and leave a comment below if you feel so inclined! 
> 
> I love all of you and until next time, keep reading & writing. :)
> 
> P.S. If the links didn't work please, comment and tell me. (it's the first time I'm using this link system) :)


	8. DARTH VADER!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Batman Puff Cereal does not count as food,” Barbara chastised, pulling said cereal box from a cupboard.
> 
> “Tis the elixir of Immortals, Barbara!” Dick exclaimed, snatching the box from Barbara and opening it quickly.

The sunlight streamed through a nearby window as Barbara awoke, finding herself tucked into Dick’s bed.

She wandered into the main room of Dick’s apartment to find him curled up in a tight knot on the couch with a blanket. If she didn’t know that his bones were made of slinkies, she would have thought he was uncomfortable.

Babs wandered over to him and gave him a kiss on the temple. 

“Good morning,” Dick greeted with his eyes still closed, a small smile brightening his sleepy face.

“Always the gentleman aren’t you, Dick?” Babs remarked.

“I didn’t think you’d want to sleep on the couch.” he explained, sitting up.

“You were right. You want breakfast?” she asked, walking over to Dick’s pitiful excuse for a kitchen.

“I’d rather wait and have Alfred’s breakfast.”

“Although you make a good argument, I seem to recall you confessing to not eating anything last night.”

Dick sighed heavily.

“We’re not leaving until you’ve had a glass of water and at least a granola bar’s worth of food.” Babs stated as she rummaged through Dick’s mostly empty cupboards, “How do you have no food?” she asked.

“There should be some cereal in there,” Dick replied as he stood from the couch, still wrapped in his blanket.

“Batman Puff Cereal does not count as food,” Barbara chastised, pulling said cereal box from a cupboard.

“Tis the elixir of Immortals, Barbara!” Dick exclaimed, snatching the box from Barbara and opening it quickly.

“At least eat it with milk, Dick,” she sighed, “that way I know there’s at least something resembling nutrition in this ‘meal’. ”

“I thought we were in a hurry! Besides, this is just a snack. We’re eating Alfred’s food when we get there.”

“You’re hopeless,” Barbara replied affectionately, smiling as she grabbed a plastic cup to fill with water from the sink.

****

The ride to the manor seemed shorter than usual to Dick - probably because of all the information Barbara dumped on him. Apparently he’d missed a _lot_ when he was off-world. For instance: his kid brother ran away and nearly died. Well, he’d already heard about that, but there was also the man who’d saved him. 

_Someone who not only knew where the batcave was, but was also capable of breaking into it._ That was concerning to say the least. 

Then there was the fact that he’d known where Jason was. Sure, Dick was beyond grateful to the man who’d saved his little brother, but that didn’t mean said man wasn’t dangerous.

“Dick? Did you hear me?” 

Barbara’s question shook Dick out of his thoughts. 

“Uh… yes?”

Barbara raised an eyebrow at him without taking her eyes from the road. Babs was cool like that.

“But if perhaps I _wasn’t_ listening,” Dick backpedaled, “What would you have said to me?”

Barbara sighed, but a smile tugged at the edges of her lips.

“I asked, ‘are you planning on patrolling with me or in Blüdhaven?’ ”

Dick blinked. He hadn’t really thought about it.

“Uh… well, I mean, I’m already gonna be in Gotham for a while, so I mean… I _guess_ I can get Wally to cover Blüdhaven for now? I’d have to check with him first–”

“Just _yes_ or _no_ , Dick.” Barbara sighed.

Dick could hear the sheer exhaustion in that sigh, all the late-sleepless nights and caffeine-fueled days. But that made sense, didn't it? Because if Bruce was still in Africa with Jason, then Barbara would have been patrolling Gotham alone while he was gone.

“Gotham,” Dick said simply, trying to ignore the obvious slump of Babs’ shoulders filled with endless relief. Barbara had been running on empty for the past week and it was beginning to show.

“I assume you have a suit with you?” she asked, trying in vain to cover her own tired joy.

“Babs,” he said in mock offence, “I never leave home without it!”

*****

“Welcome home, Master Dick.”

Alfred had said those words many times – not so much in the past few years – however he’d never been closer to breaking the facade of professionalism he’s striven to uphold at all times. Because at least one of his boys was _home_.

Dick offered him a smile as he grabbed a bag from the back seat, but not his usual blinding smile. This smile was subdued, quieter. 

Sadder.

Dick came up the Manor stairs and wrapped the old man in a tight embrace.

Alfred would never admit the tears that fell on the young man’s shoulder to anyone, but Dick knew. It would be their secret.

“I’m so sorry, Alfred.” the young man whispered.

Alfred swallowed the lump in this throat. 

“My dear boy,” he answered in equal volume, “You have _nothing_ to apologize for.”

“But I _do_ ,” Dick stressed, “I should have _been_ _here_. I should have _been_ _better_.”

Alfred held his grandchild at arm’s length. He could see the tears in his eyes now.

“Master Dick,” he began, “I want you to know not only have I forgiven you long ago, but I _know_ that they would forgive you too, _both_ of them.”

Dick’s speckled tears turned into silent streams. Alfred raised a hand to his grandson’s face to wipe the little rivers away.

“My only request is that you do not let the past dampen your efforts for the present.”

Dick let out a small, blubbering hiccup, but nodded.

“Now, I believe it’s time you had a proper meal and some hot chocolate, young master,” he turned to Barbara. “I assume you’ll be joining us, Miss Gordon?”

“I think I’ll stick around,” she gave a lopp-sided grin, hefting her own overnight bag she had gotten from her apartment on the way there.

Alfred nodded.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, “because after we’ve finished breakfast, Master Bruce has requested a video call with the both of you,”

******

Dick fidgeted as Alfred set up the call on one of the Batcomputer’s side monitors. He hadn’t talked to Bruce in a while. Sure, he’d heard the voicemail, which was the first time that Bruce had tried to contact him in a while, but this was different. Dick was going to actually have to _talk_ to Bruce. And usually when they both started talking, well… things would go downhill fast from there. 

Dick sighed. He’d really rather not have an argument right now, not after being an emotional mess for the past few days. Dick tensed in anticipation each time the call rang. 

Finally, Bruce’s face showed up on the screen.

“Hey, Bruce,” Dick said with a small, hesitant smile.

Bruce blinked before replying: _“Hello, Dick.”_ He turned to Babs, _“Barbara,”_

“Bruce,” she acknowledged with a nod.

“I’m glad to see you too, sir,” Alfred commented a touch dryly.

“So what is this about, B?” Dick asked.

_“As Barbara has probably already told you, the man who saved Jason broke into the Batcave and stole the Batplane to get to Ethiopia. However, he failed to erase the cameras and microphones in the plane before leaving. We've been waiting for you to return to watch the footage.”_

Dick blinked.

“As flattered as I am that you waited for me … _why_ did you wait for me?”

Bruce frowned. 

_“Because I value your input?” he asked as if it were obvious._

“Oh…” Dick blushed, “Thanks.”

“As much as I hate to break up this father-son bonding moment,” Barbara interjected, “Alfred would you mind starting the video?”

“Of course, Miss Gordon.”

_

The video started with the suspect climbing in the pilot seat of the Batplane and taking off. It was a few minutes after leaving the city that the man burst out laughing. 

“THAT IS THE BEST CRAP I’VE PULLED IN AGES!!!!” He exclaimed, “OH MAN!!! I STILL GOT IT!!! WHOO!!!”

_

“This goes on for a while, Master Bruce. Might I take the liberty of skipping forward a bit?”

 _“Please,”_ Bruce answered Alfred, rubbing his temples with his forefingers.

“You’re just embarrassed that he sicced your own bats on you.” teased Barbara, resisting the urge to smirk.

“He WHAT?” exclaimed Dick, eyes wide.

_“Moving on, Alfred?”_

“Of course, sir.” 

_

The video started again. The man was sitting sideways in the pilot chair, with his legs dangling over the arm, and slipping chips through a slit in his helmet. One of the chips hit below the slit and broke in two, one half falling to the ground. The man just stared at the chip on the floor for a long moment.

“Where am I?” he asked himself, “Oh right,” the man cleared his voice, “The pit of _despair_ ” he said in a high pitched voice before he broke into a fake coughing fit. It was quite the effect, combined with his slightly metallic, filtered voice. 

_

“Was that a Princess Bride reference?” Dick asked, failing to fight a grin.

 _“A bit further than that,”_ Bruce requested.

Alfred obliged.

_

The video started again, with loud music blaring over the plane’s radio.

“I bet I can hit this note! HIGH HIIIGH HIIIGHH AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”

_

Bruce sighed heavily as the man continued to hold out the note. 

“Is this real?” Barbara asked incredulously, wondering if she’d been gassed by Scarecrow, and this was all some horribly realistic nightmare. Was he adding voice cracks on _purpose_?

“As far as I am aware, Miss Gordan, it is” Alfred answered, sporting a stiff lip, and twinkling eyes.

Meanwhile, Dick was trying and failing to hold back his laughter.

 _“Alfred,”_ Bruce pleaded.

He nodded and skipped in the video again.

_

The man was watching his route on a small screen

“Wait for it. Wait for it! WOAH WE'RE HALFWAY THERE!!! WOOOAAAHHH LIVING ON A PRAYYYERRR!!!!”

_

“Take my hand, we’ll make it, I swear,” Dick sang under his breath.

Barbara elbowed him in the stomach.

“Hey! Come on! It’s a great song!

“Alfred?” Barbara asked.

“Of course.”

_

In the next clip, the man was _dancing_. And not just any dance. One of the most iconic dances of all time.

“I! Just wanna tell you how I’m feelin! Gotta make you! Understand! NEVER GONNA GIVE! YOU! UP! NEVER GONNA LET! YOU! DOWN! NEVER GONNA RUN AROUND! AND! DESERT YOU!”

_

“NEVER GONNA MAKE! YOU! CRY! NEVER GONNA SAAAAAAY GOODBYEEE!” 

_“Dick, please”_ Bruce practically begged. 

“What? It’s a good song! Disco is where it’s _at!_ ”

“So you’ve tried to tell the world when you wore that monstrosity of a costume!” Barbara commented with an eyeroll.

“HEY! The Discowing suit is a work of _art!_ It’s reminiscent of a fabulous age in our world’s history.”

“Well it’s an age in your life that I try to forget,” Barbara muttered.

Dick gasped and placed a hand on his chest in mock offence.

“Barbara! How _could_ you!?”

“How could I _not_?” she returned with a grin.

“If you please sir, miss. I believe I have found the next appropriate spot.”

 _“What do you mean the next–”_ Bruce began.

_

“NEAR! FAR! WHEREVER YOU AREEEE!!!” the man sang standing on the pilot seat.

_

“I BELIEVE THAT THE HEART DOES!!! GO OOOON!!!!!!” Dick wailed rather than sang.

Bruce sighed as both Dick and the recording of the strange man finished the chorus.

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you.” Barbara asked Alfred. 

“I have no idea what you could possibly be referring to, Miss Barbara.” Alfred replied as he started fast forwarding again.

_

“Hello, this is your captain speaking.” The man announced to the empty space, as he grabbed a hold of the plane's yoke. “We hope you’re having an enjoyable flight. It is our pleasure to inform you that we are beginning our descent. Our departure time was 4:23 AM and due to jet streams and fine weather we will actually arrive at 6:23 PM instead of our scheduled arrival of 7:23, which gives you plenty of time to save a little knuckleheaded idiot dressed like a traffic light from certain death. We hope you have a pleasant rest of your journey and thank you for flying Batman Air, sponsored by Wayne INC for no suspicious reasons at all.”

_

 _“Pause it.”_ Bruce snapped.

“Did he just–” Barbara began.

_“Imply that Bruce Wayne funds Batman? Yes.”_

“Do you think he … _knows_?” asked Dick.

_“It’s likely considering how much he already knows about us, especially Jason.”_

“Speaking of which, he also mentioned saving Robin from certain death–” Barbara pointed out.

“–Meaning he knew that the Joker had set a trap for Jason from the start!” Dick finished.

 _“He also knew the where and when - while none of_ us _did.” Bruce added._

“Are you saying he is working for the Joker?” Dick asked.

 _“_ Was _,”_ Bruce corrected, _“I got the DNA tests back from a lab here.”_

The room went deathly still. No one breathed

Bruce sighed. _“As you know, I found two bodies at the sight of the explosion. One of them, as I’ve mentioned, is a match for the Joker. The other is a match for Sheila Haywood, Jason’s Birth-Mother.”_

“So the clown and Jason’s Birth-Mother are...” Dick trailed off.

_“If the tests are to be believed, then yes, they are both dead, and my hunch is that this man killed them.”_

“What?” asked Dick.

_“I found the Joker’s body with a bullet hole through his brain. Close range. Quick. Quiet. But not entirely painless.”_

“So he _wanted_ it to hurt?” Barbara asked.

“I mean there are plenty of ways to shoot someone in the head to make it painless,” Dick pointed out, “but to take the effort to make it hurt when he obviously was in a hurry?” 

_“Which points to the fact that he knew there was a bomb in the building,”_ Bruce commented.

“And that getting Jason out was more important than any personal grudge against the Joker.” Barbara added.

“What about Sheila?” Dick asked, “Did he just leave her in the building to die or was there not enough time?”

 _“I was there on site when the bomb went off, and he was already miles away. He could have saved her if he wanted to.”_ Bruce answered

“If he even knew she was there,” Dick added.

“Considering he knew all the details of the Joker’s plan up to this point, it seems unlikely he didn’t know Sheila was involved.” Barbara pointed out.

“So he just left her there to die?” Dick asked.

“If I may,” Alfred interrupted, “I believe we are getting off track concerning the evidence at hand. There will be plenty of time later to discuss this man’s morals, and quite a bit more of the footage to watch.”

_“I’m sorry Alfred, Please continue.”_

“Very good, sir.”

_

The video resumed with the man straddling a batcycle down in the cargo bay and hot wiring the engine. 

“Oh they’d hate me for this.” he muttered to himself as he worked “But am I gonna do it anyway? That would be a Heck-to the- _yes!_ ” he stated as the engine roared to life and he zoomed out of the plane.

_

“ _Pause,_ ” Barbara cut out.

“What?” asked Dick.

“He said ‘ _they’d’_ hate me for this. Who’s ‘they?’ ” Barbara asked.

“Superiors?” Dick asked.

Barbara nodded, “That’s my guess too. Bruce?”

_“Hrn.”_

“Oh no, that’s his _deep_ thinking hum-grunt.” Dick exclaimed.

Barbara giggled.

“As I know there will be plenty of time to debunk possible secret organizations later, shall we move on?” Alfred questioned.

“Sounds good,” Dick replied.

_

The footage resumed with the man speeding back into the plane with a bloodied Jason in the side car. The man gently picked up Jay and carried him over to a ready gunnery.

“Come on, stay with me, kid” he whispered as he started pulling out an IV bag and a surgical sewing kit and started tending Jason’s wounds.

_

_“Pause,” Bruce called._

They all started at the screen, Barbara with pursed lips, Bruce with a scowl, and Dick with wide eyes.

“Where should we start?” asked Barbara.

 _Bruce sighed. “As I’ve already witnessed, this man is trained._ Well _. While I’ve seen his combative training first hand, this is the first time we’ve had a chance to see his medical training.”_

“Well, from what I see,” Barbara began, “He’s got a pretty comprehensive understanding of the topic. I’m not saying he’s a doctor, but he knows how to patch people up in situations like this and has done so before.”

“I bet he’s patched himself up before as well,” Dick added. 

“That makes sense,” Barbara agreed, “You can also see the equipment he brought with him. It’s lightweight, but it’s also exactly what Jason needed.”

_“Like he knew what his injuries would be.”_

“Did he leave Jason at the mercy of the Joker only to save him at the last minute?” asked Barbara, her anger rising, “And for what? Our _thanks?_ ”

“I don’t think so, Babs,” Dick said, “You can literally hear the worry in his voice when he speaks, and if you look closely,” Dick stepped up to the screen and rewound it a few seconds before playing it back, “There,” he said pointing at the screen, “His hands are shaking,” he paused the video again. “Say what you want, but you can’t fake that kind of fear. He’s genuinely scared, probably more so than he’s letting on.”

“It could just be an adrenaline crash,” Babs countered.

“I thought so too,” Dick said, “I’m also not taking PTSD off the table.”

_“PTSD?”_

“Well, I think someone who carries as many weapons as he does, can sneak into the batcave, look the Joker dead in the eye and shoot him and patch himself up if he needs to, would have some sort of traumatic past.”

“Fair enough,” Barbara conceded.

“But the shaking hands, and the fear in his voice - plus how carefully he’s tending Jason’s wounds - it’s obvious that he both cares for Jason, for some reason, and is scared of what might…” Dick trailed off, looking at the mangled body of his little brother on the screen.

Barbara put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

_‘Let’s keep watching.”_

Alfred skipped forward a bit more before playing the video. 

_

The man was carefully stitching up a wound on the boy’s arm.

“Ow.” a small voice croaked.

The man stilled a bit when Jason spoke, as well as the bats watching the video.

“Yeah, no kidding,” the man returned.

_

“Pause,” Dick said.

“I saw the obvious sigh of relief, Dick.” Barbara said rolling her eyes, “It’s a point in favor of your theory,” but it doesn’t prove anything. Keep going, Alfred.”

_

“Wha’ ‘appen’?” Jason asked.

“That’s for _me_ to know and _you_ to forget.”

“Who’re you?”

“Kind of the point of a helmet, you dingus!” 

“How’d you find me?”

“You showed up on my stupid radar and I decided to fix it.”

“That doesn’t–”

“Look, I’m kinda in the middle of saving your sorry a– a– a-ppendages from becoming street meat. So if you could push pause on the interrogation that would be fantastic.” 

Jason gave him a weird look. The man visibly _cringed_ and mumbled something too quiet for them to hear.

_

“Pause,” said Barbara.

Alfred sighed.

“Can you go back 5 seconds and turn up the volume on the man?” she asked.

“Of course, Miss.”

_

 _“_ Stupid _Mother Hen enforcing that_ stupid _habit,”_ the man muttered.

_

“Mother Hen?” Dick asked. 

_“Could be a code name,”_ said Bruce.

“Or a nickname for a work associate,” Barbara added.

“Could it not just be what he calls his mother?” asked Dick, “What? Moms force people not to cuss. I once used a Romani word my dad yelled a lot when he was angry, and after that my mom would nudge my dad hard whenever he tried to say that word again around me again. And then I came here and could say it as much as I wanted.”

Bruce sighed.

“Assuming that he’s _not_ talking about his _actual_ mother,” Barbara pointed out, “This is the first mention we have of a specific associate.”

“We wanna start making a list?” asked Dick.

_“Alfred?”_

“Thank you sir.”

_

“I’m also about to hit you up with a crap ton of painkillers,” the man explained, holding up a IV bag. 

Jason’s breath hitched. 

“And please don’t give me the scared, hurt puppy look,” the man continued, “You need these freaking meds and I’m sorry but pills aren’t going to cut it this time.”

“How did you–”

“Shush” the man soothed, putting a finger on the boy’s lips.

An utterly confused expression washed over Jason’s face.

_

“Pau–” Dick began.

“I believe we should let this play out, Master Dick. I for one am getting tired of all this stopping and starting.”

_

“I’m gonna put the IV in now, kay?” the man asked.

“No,”

“Look kid, either you stay in this much pain and heighten your chances of death, or you take your meds. Now I know it’s not pleasant for you, but I’m trying to save your frickin' life.” The man paused to take a deep breath, “So are you ready for me to put the IV in?”

Jason chewed his busted lip for a moment before finally answering.

“Fine.”

“That’s a good Robin.”

“I hate you.”

“I would too, if I was in your position. Now for the _last time_. Shush.”

Jason stayed quiet while the man got to work, although there was the smallest flinch when he put in the IV. He nodded off while the man finished patching up what he could. Afterwards the man started gathering the things he left around the plane.

_

“Pause?” asked Dick.

Alfred sighed, but paused nonetheless.

“He’s cleaning up after himself.” Dick pointed out. “His fingerprints, sweat, everything.”

“He did a thorough job too.” Barbara added, “I couldn’t find anything when you sent the auto-pilated Batplane back, Bruce.”

Bruce nodded. _“He’s good, and he doesn’t want to be found.”_

“Not necessarily,” Barbara countered, “Three days ago, a new major drug ring was taken down by an unknown samaritan. According to the police reports the criminals involved testified it was a man matching the man’s description, in both appearance and attitude. He also left a note similar to the one you found with a name that fits the initials of the first note. Apparently, our mystery man goes by ‘Red Hood.’ ”

 _“As in the Joker’s former alias?”_ Bruce asked.

“Just one more thing that ties him in some way to the Joker,”

“What did you mean by ‘attitude’?” Dick asked.

“Apparently he was making terrible puns the whole time.” Barbara explained. 

“But–BUT THAT’S MY THING!”

“I believe we should continue,” said Alfred, ignoring Dick’s outburst.

_

It was at the end of the man’s sweep of the plane that Jason’s eyes snapped open, wide as saucers.

“WAIT! I FIGURED IT OUT!” He yelled.

“HOLY FRICK KID!”

“I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!”

The man paused for a moment, as if he was actually concerned for his identity. “Really?” he asked.

The rest of the bats waited on edge, because maybe Jason knew who this man was.

“DARTH VADER!” he proclaimed triumphantly and with as much hatred he could muster.

_

Alfred paused the video as Dick and Barbara burst into laughter. Even Bruce was cracking a small smile.

“OH- Oh my! He’s _so freaking high_!!!” Dick got out through his giggles.

“ _So_ glad we got this on camera!” Barbara gasped.

“It gets better, Miss Barbara,” Alfred said as he played the video.

_

The man’s shoulders started to shake.

“I’LL NEVER JOIN YOU!”

“Oh my fricking gosh!” The man said to himself, “He’s as high as Replacement’s caffeine intake.” He paused for a moment “ _My time has come.”_ He stepped towards the gunnery. “Jason, I _AM_ your father!”

_

“PAUSE!” all three vigilantes said.

“So… he knows,” Dick offered.

Bruce nodded, _“He knows Jason’s involvement, and by association, probably Dick’s and mine. There’s a chance he might not know about you, Barbara.”_

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Barbara replied, “With the amount of information he seems to know about Jay, plus the sheer amount of time I spend with Dick, I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch,”

“What exactly do we do with this?” Dick asked.

There was a pause as each of them considered their options.

 _“Barbara,”_ Bruce addressed, _“Have you made any progress in determining the Red Hood’s identity?”_

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t have much.”

 _“What_ do _you have?” Bruce asked._

“Well, some time before the drug bust, there was word that he was stopping robberies and muggings in Crime Alley. I was going to go over soon to see if it was true, and then the drug bust happened. No one’s seen him since.”

 _“Injuries,”_ Bruce pointed out.

“My thoughts exactly.” 

“But why Crime Alley?” Dick asked, “And why come back to Gotham in the first place? He could’ve gone anywhere in the world, and instead he chose to come right back to where he knew we’d be.”

_“Considering how easily he broke into the cave, and the fact that he’s been watching us for a while, I think it’s safe to assume he’s a Gothamite. He simply came back home.”_

“Maybe Crime Alley has some sort of significance to him?” Dick suggested

 _“Or he knows it has significance to me,”_ Bruce frowned.

“Or Jay.”

“You think he’s trying to send a message?” Barbara asked.

_“All of these suggestions are possible. Keep an ear out for when he resurfaces. Alfred?”_

___

“NO!!!!! THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!!!!” Jason screamed.

“Oh, Replacement would be so proud.” he wheezed through his laughter.

“He should be!!!”Jason exclaimed, “Whoever he is! I deserve to be praised!”

_

“Pause,” Barbara called. “That’s the second time he’s used the name ‘Replacement’. He mentioned them earlier right before he said Jason’s name.” 

“Second name on the Red Hood associate Bingo!” Dick cheered. 

“Is everything a game for you?” Barbara teased.

“Well excuse me for trying to make life more fun!” 

“Moving right along, then.” Alfred sniffed.

_

“Laugh while you can, Vader! Batman will come here and beat the F-”

“SHHH!” the man managed through the laughter.

“SHHH!” Jay returned, spraying spit and blood everywhere.

“Kay, you need to lay back down kid,” he said as he gently pushed Jason’s forehead down so his head was resting back on the gunnery instead of craning up to look athe the man in the helmet. 

“Batman’ll find you!” Jason threatened, “And he’ll- he’ll- he’ll”

“He’ll what kid?” the man asked humorously.

“He’ll freeze you in carbonite!!!

The man snorted, which sounded even funnier through a voice modifier.

“I’m sure he will. How are you feeling?”

“Mmm, like soup.”

“Soup?”

“Or butter.”

“Hmm, well until you can decide, I want you to count from one thousand to zero. Can you do that kid?”

“I’ll try.”

The man leaned in closer to Jason.

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

“Yoda?” Jason asked, eyes wide in awe.

The man chuckled

“Shh, rest you must, my padawan.” 

“ ‘es master,” Jason mumbled as he closed his eyes.

The man stood there for a moment before walking back to the cockpit. He began typing something on the screen before a small piece of paper printed from the dashboard. The man took a roll of duct tape and ripped off a tiny piece before placing it back in his backpack, which he then zipped up and hefted over one shoulder.

He walked back to the gunnery and taped the note to it.

He patted one of Jay’s hands.

“May the force be with you,” he whispered.

Jason shifted a little in his sleep.

“Always,” he replied in an equally quiet whisper.

The man froze up for a second, but then nodded and turned around to exit the aircraft.

Just as he was stepping out, he looked the camera straight in the eye before giving it a two fingered salute before walking out of sight.

_

The video ended, but the bats stared at the screen wide eyed, all except Alfred of course.

“He _knew_?” Dick asked. “He knew the whole time that we would see this?”

“So everything we’ve deduced are things he wanted us to see?” Barbara asked.

Bruce was silent.

“Bruce?” Dick asked.

“I need to think,” he stated, “I’ll call back in a hour.” and with that he ended the call.

Dick frowned.

“He didn’t even say a proper goodbye.” he complained.

“At least, he said _if_ and _when_ he was calling back, Master Dick,” Alfred pointed out, “In my book that is a vast improvement from his usual antisocial tendencies.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Dick admitted.

Barbara put a hand on his shoulder. “He’s working on it, Dick. Don’t expect him to be emotionally competent overnight.”

Dick sighed, “Yeah, okay.”

“Hey,” Barbara nudged him, “wanna download that footage to my laptop?” she asked with a mischievous smirk dawning on her face.

“You have some ideas?” Dick asked, grinning.

“A few.”

“Remix!” Dick exclaimed as he bounded over to the batcomputer, “That’s all I’m saying.”

Once Dick was out of earshot, Babs turned to the old butler and whispered: “Alfred.”

The response was immediate. “Yes, Miss Gordon?”

“Why did you stop at all those places in the video”

“Between you and me, Miss Barbara, I think this household needed a little bit of laughter in it”

Barabara smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you, Alfred.”

“I live to serve, Madam.” he said as he headed towards the stairs to the manor.

“Wait!" Dick exclaimed, "If he knew we were watching the whole time, does that mean he just Rick Rolled us?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm soooo glad I finally got to post this chapter! This was one that I've been excited about for a really long time.
> 
> First of all, I want to say a HUGE thank you to my beta, PepperSoniRoni. You guys have no idea how much she pours into this fic and I'm so thankful to her! Please go check out her [tumblr](https://peppersonironi.tumblr.com/) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperSoniRoni/pseuds/PepperSoniRoni) accounts!
> 
> Another person I want to thank is @night-scroller for induging my fantansies and making some truely amazing vines of this fic, which I will put the links to at the end of the notes.
> 
> I also want to thank all of you! You have been so supportive of me and this fic, overwhelmingly so, and I just want to say a big thank you to each and every one of you guys. I also want to thank all of you who left comments! I love hearing from you guys, whether it's just what you thought about the chapter, theories for the future, or questions you have about the story or writing process. I will answer almost anything that doesn't have spoilers involved, so don't feel shy. (but like also don't feel obligated, cuz I don't want you guys to feel that way either) :)
> 
> I LOVE this chapter you guys. I've been waiting a good bit for the Darth Vader joke. And the whole chapter fell beautifully into place around it. Also been waiting a while for the RICK ROLL!!!!!! And yes, Jason did purposfully Rick Roll the bats. It's about a 16 hour flight from New Jersey to Ethiopia, what better way to pass the time then to confuse the bats more than they already are. I didn't plan for the beginning of this chapter to have so many feels, so sorry about that, I know I had promised a comedy driven chapter, but I hope you guys liked it nonetheless.
> 
> I do want to give a word of warning. The next chapter is about to get very angsty, maybe a little dark too. Things are going to come to light (some not very great things) that pretty much shape a lot of the rest of the fic....  
> I can't say too much, but just... have tissues, kay? 
> 
> Anyways, thank you all so much! I know I don't have a lot of other fics for you guys to check out, but you can check out my tumblr [here](https://starrystories2.tumblr.com/) and see my random thoughts and I also have some original content on there under #8 men, if you guys are interested.
> 
> Otherwise, keep reading & writing! :)
> 
> P.S. I will give 50 points to each of you who can tell me what vine Jason screach-singing is referencing. Also let me know if the links don't work. The vine may be dead but it lives on in our hearts *sniff*
> 
> Vines:  
> [Jason watch the light< /a> ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sbpzHRKSHjBteJYjr0pfjwoX4JztSBcu/view)[Jason yelling at batcave systems< /a> ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RUmHAnImGSit6aaDhKXJ9uarthHXvLjA/view)[But ya didn't!< /a>](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mc1DawSs4GUfdwuIffyjXl1aj_VDc0z_/view)


	9. No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If I have to read another one of these darn articles with their crap theories–

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Briefly implied child abuse
> 
> also: MUCH ANGST! HAVE TISSUES HANDY!  
> (Seriously guys I made my beta cry!)

Jason groaned so loudly that if anyone else was living in the apartment building, they would have filed a noise complaint. 

But no one was, and he was alone in the apartment he’d chosen - the room with the ‘open floor plan’.

_ If I have to read another one of these  _ darn _ articles with their  _ crap _ theories– _

Instead of finishing that thought, Jason picked up one of his guns and shot at the wall. It was a real shame that the ammo he had acquired from the  _ former _ drug ring were real bullets. Now, Jason was in no way scared to use real bullets, he’d just gotten used to the rubber ones. There was a different mentality that came with using a ‘real’ gun. It was the kind of mentality he used to kill the Joker.

The shot left a resonating bang in the air and a permanent, bullet-shaped hole in the wall. 

Jason sighed, leaning his head back on the arm of the old sofa that he’d moved to the room. Leslie probably wouldn’t have liked the fact that Jason had moved furniture by himself while recovering from  _ three gunshot wounds _ , but what Leslie didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. 

Jason hid his eyes in the crook of his elbow. Maybe if he blocked out the light enough, he’d stop seeing pages of utter nonsense flash before his eyes. 

There was a tentative knock on the door. 

_ Frick. _

“Room service!”

Now, Jason had two options. Either he could stay where he was with his arm over his face, wearing nothing but cargo pants, and let the guy in, or he could make the person wait, and find his domino mask and leather jacket. 

“Come in,” he grumbled.

Jason  _ really _ didn’t feel like moving.

In walked the man Jason had officially dubbed ‘Pun Guy’. There was no room for argument, that was his name now.

“Just leave it on the floor,” Jason requested, catching a glimpse of a brown paper bag labeled ‘Batburger’ from under his elbow. 

“Uh… sure, Boss,” Pun Guy said and Jason heard a soft plop by the couch. After a moment, he asked: “Um, Boss?”

“Yes?”

“How old are you?” Pun guy asked.

“Younger than you’ve ever been.”

Jason smiled to himself at the sound of Pun Guy’s spluttering. 

He bet he did look a lot younger than Pun Guy expected him to. The gear was made to make him look older, more intimidating. Because a lot of the fear that surrounded the Red Hood’s name would dissipate if people knew that he was an angsty nineteen year-old.

Well, he was twenty-one now, but that's beside the point.

“Alright. First of all,” Pun Guy began, “ _ Ouch _ .”

Jason chuckled. “The truth hurts.”

“Secondly,” he continued, “I’m only thirty-six.”

“ _ Only _ ,” Jason drawled in response.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You look forty-five.”

“You’re not even looking at me, kid.”

“You don’t get to call me  _ kid _ , Gramps,” Jason replied, “I’m your boss.”

Pun Guy sighed, “Yeah, I know, Boss” he paused, and Jason felt a gravity enter the room. “Just … take care of yourself, alright? You don’t just  _ walk off _ three bullet wounds. Get some rest.”

Jason’s heart tightened. 

He’d heard this spiel many times before. He was just used to hearing it from Alfred, or Bruce, or Dick or even Tim on the rare occasion, although Jason felt obligated to point out every time how hypocritical it was coming from them. Except Alfred.

_ Crap _ , he missed Alfred.

“Boss?” 

“Whatever you say, Pun Guy,” Jason sighed.

He  _ felt _ rather than  _ saw _ the man’s amused smile. 

“We’ll have to  _ ketchup _ soon,” and with that Pun Guy threw what Jason assumed was a ketchup packet, shuffled out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Jason snorted as he tossed the packet back in the bag, but didn’t feel the humor of the joke as much as he’d normally would. Something had settled in the pit of his stomach when he thought of his fam– the people back home. Because Jason  _ knew  _ the rules. Leslie’s articles only confirmed that for him. Not only that, but it was nearly two weeks since he’d arrived in this timeline, and usually someone would have made contact by now. 

But no one had.

Jason reached down into the bag and grabbed his burger. He took a bite of it, yet for some reason he didn’t feel like eating. He managed to swallow what was in his mouth, but put the burger back in the bag. 

Jason looked around him at the scattered articles he’d promised to read. He could probably finish in the next few hours, but he’d been at this for  _ days _ , and Jason felt like he was about to drown in paragraphs. He eased himself off the couch and paced his apartment, careful as not to upset his mostly-healed wounds. He still felt a bit sore, but he couldn’t stand sitting still any longer. As he paced, he thought over some of the key repeated phrases he’d read over the past few days. 

“Causing an event that prevents your birth will create a time paradox.” 

“Time loops can only be created and dispelled through magical means.” 

“Contrary to popular belief, putting the phrase ‘ quantum physics’ in any passage does not mean it is a true statement relating to time travel.”

_ Okay, I don’t have to remember that one because it’s so obvious. _

Jason sighed as he leaned against the window pane his breath fogging up the glass. He didn’t care if he got smudges on it, and there was no one here to tell him not to. Besides, the glass was cool against his skin, and offered some relief to his anxiety-ridden mind. 

_ Why am I so worried? I’ll get back. It’s not like I did anything  _ that  _ bad!  _

Sure, he’d shaken up this timeline, but he’d made it a way better world than his. 

Jason stood and started pacing his apartment again.

Bruce wouldn’t spiral into despair. Babs would never lose her legs. Duke’s parents would still be sane enough to recognise their son. Not to mention the thousands of casualties that the Joker had racked up in the six years between  _ now _ and the  _ future _ . 

_ That last bit made no sense. I hate time travel talk. But the point is, there is  _ no  _ downside to the Joker being dead in this timeline...  _ right _? _

Jason huffed out a sigh before choking.

Was he  _ actually _ having second thoughts about killing the Joker?

About killing the man who _ tortured _ and  _ murdered  _ him?

The man who thought life was a joke and it could be taken in any way he deemed most entertaining?

Jason shook his head. 

_You’re getting distracted,_ Jason told himself. _Besides everyone is better off with the Joker dead._ _This me will have more time with Bruce._ Jason paused in his walking and sighed again. _And he’ll turn out better than I ever did._

Jason sat back down on the couch.

_ Bruce will probably keep his family a little closer. Meaning he’ll probably try to reach out to Dick.  _

He snorted. 

Try  _ being the keyword in that statement. But Dick might have a change of heart with lil’ Jason being injured.  _

Jason put his head in his hands. Injuries were the least of it. He should have got there sooner. If only Batman hadn’t caught up so fast. He could have been there before it all started. He could have saved himself from all the terrible things the Joker  _ did _ and  _ said _ to him. 

_ “You ready to die, little bird?” _

Jason squeezed his eyes closed. 

“Shut up,” He grunted through gritted teeth, “I’m  _ thinking _ right now!” 

He sucked in a breath. 

Then another. 

He was  _ fine _ . 

But what he needed right now, was to figure out why he was still  _ here _ and not getting picked up by a very-worried-but-hides-it-with-annoyance Tim who would berate him for anything he did but then totally defend him when Bruce would–

Jason stood in a sudden panic. 

_ Tim. _

Tim was the last one of them to be in a situation like this.

And what had Bruce asked him?

****

_ “Tim,” Bruce called. _

_ Tim didn’t look away from the computer monitor. He’d only been back in the right time for less than six hours and he decided his energy would be best spent catching up on what he’d missed over the past week instead of sleeping like a  _ normal _ human. _

_ Bold of him to assume  _ any _ of them were normal humans. _

_ Jason snorted as he took in the scene that was about to play out in front of him, lounging further into a beanbag he’d set up in a corner by the stairs.  _

_ “Yeah B?” Tim replied. _

_ “Are you  _ sure _?”  _

_ Tim rolled his eyes.  _

_ “Am I sure  _ what _ , B? A little more detail won’t kill you, will it?” _

Ooh, sleepy Tim was an unfiltered Tim. _ Jason was going to  _ love _ this. _

_ Bruce gave an exasperated sigh. _

_ “Are you  _ sure _ you didn’t alter any major events?” _

_ Tim swiveled in his chair and gave Bruce a disappointed glare.  _

_ “B, that’s the tenth time you’ve asked me.” _

_ Bruce blinked. _

_ “I don’t think I’ve–” _

_ “I counted.  _ And _ I’ll have you know that if I  _ did _ make any changes to our timeline I  _

_ would know, because you would cease to exist considering that I was stuck in 1860 for the past week, and everything after a major time changing event would be  _ erased _ in order for the timeline to recalibrate for it, not to mention the paradox that I might cease to exist! It’s either that or I’m stuck in the Civil War for the rest of my life where there are no supercomputers, and no internet and  _ no Starbucks  _ and– and–” _

_ “Tim,” Bruce soothed as he kneeled down in front of the computer chair, taking the boy’s hands in his. “Please, go to sleep.” _

_ Tim was the one to blink now. A long, confused, sleepy blink. _

_ “But there’s so much that I’ve missed! You have at least five new cases since I’ve been gone and ten solved ones, none of which have been filed properly by the way! I scheduled a meeting this past week between Wayne enterprises and Kord Industries that I’ll have to reschedule and apologize for the unexplained–” _

_ “Tim,” Bruce cupped Tim’s face with one of his hands and he instinctively leaned into it. “ _ Sleep _.” _

_ Tim looked conflicted between protesting and falling asleep right there. Bruce didn’t wait for him to decide, picking Tim up like a child. He technically still  _ was _ a child. Tim let out a massive yawn as Bruce made his way towards the stairs.  _

_ “I’ll let Tam handle the meeting, and you’re taking the week off.” Bruce whispered as he passed Jason’s spot. “Jason will re-file the cases for you - right Jason?” he said a little louder. _

_ Did Jason want to re-file the cases according to Tim’s complicated system? _

_ No. _

_ Was he going to say no and face the wrath of everyone who wanted Tim to sleep? _

_ “Whatever you say, boss,” Jason muttered begrudgingly.  _

_ Stupid Replacement had everyone wrapped around his finger. _

_ **** _

“No.” Jason whispered to the empty room, letting out a choked sob afterwards. His fingers found his way to his scalp as he continued to mutter the word. 

“No no no no, _please_ _no_.” 

It all made sense now. 

It should have clicked a long time ago.

The thing that was putting him on edge this whole time. 

This timeline was too normal. Another timeline would have major differences. Like Texas being its own country or Tina Fey working as a librarian. 

This one was too much like his.

Because it  _ was _ his. 

He hadn’t screwed with somebody else’s timeline - he’d screwed with  _ his own _ .

“No, no, dammit  _ no _ !” Jason shifted through the once loathed articles frantically, flinging anything unuseful off to the sides. Looking for one, just  _ one _ , of them to prove him wrong.

Jason never wanted to be wrong so badly in all his life.

He finally found a phrase that caught his attention - and not in a good way.

_ “When a timeline’s past is altered, it’s future must reset in order for the timeline to compensate for the change, thereby erasing the future once known.” _

Jason read and re-read the line, as if seeing it another time would change its implications.

Would change the fact that he destroyed everything.

No _. This has to be a mistake.  _

Jason flipped to the front of the article, hoping he’d recognize the author as an unreliable source.

It was a college paper.

Jason almost let out a cry of relief.

Then he saw the name of the student who wrote it.

_ Bartholomew Allen. _

Aka: Barry Allen.

Aka: The Flash 

Aka: A man with genius level scientific intellect, who can hop dimensions and timelines and the kind of person would make edits to his old college papers if he found out that anything he wrote was inaccurate.

Jason yelled in frustration and grief as he crumpled the paper and threw it as hard as he could. It bounced off the wall and tumbled to the floor, like all his hopes of ever going home. 

Home. 

It was gone.

No more skidding to a stop on his motorcycle outside the Manor steps. 

No more Alfred greeting him and offering a kind word or two as he stalked inside.

No more smell of freshly baked goods or nearly finished dinners wafting into the halls.

No more hidden away nooks to read or hide in.

No more secret games of Uno in the air vents.

No more hiding Tim’s coffee or Dick favorite cereal.

No more Mario Kart tournaments with Steph cheering wildly and Damian grumbling that the game ‘required little actual skill’.

No more 3 AM snack runs because someone was craving donuts.

No more book club with Babs and Alfred.

No more of Dick’s leaping hug attacks that you could never avoid. 

No more Cass finding wherever he was hiding away from the rest of them and quietly leaving him in peace.

No more dragging a sleeping Tim from wherever he’d crashed to his bed.

No more glitter bomb ‘mishaps’ with Steph.

No more of Duke’s mischievous grins when he finds out about a family tradition and jumps right in with the rest of them.

No more of Damian’s insults when his hair is ruffled that really mean ‘I care for you’.

No more working with his siblings to stop Bruce from adopting  _ another one. _

No more windows of his apartment creaking open.

No more Watchtower pranks on the newbies.

No more sneaking into each other's rooms to seek comfort after a nightmare.

No more impromptu movie nights with everyone squeezed onto one couch  _ somehow _ .

No more Bruce begging him to stay.

No more sparring.

No more team-ups.

No more dinners.

No more–

Jason gulped back tears as he slowly sank to the floor.

_ No more family. _

Jason’s sobbing wails filled the room as he realised he’d killed the only family he’d ever wanted, the one he’d always tried to push away.

Even now, he tried to push the memory of them away, because it hurt more than a crowbar ever could. 

But he  _ couldn’t _ .

They closed in on him, causing emotional claustrophobia worse than any coffin.

He haphazardly plastered a domino to his face, and grabbed a shirt and his leather jacket.

“I need air.”

****

It’d been a while since Jason had smoked. His family had been discouraging the behavior for years, trying to get him onto lollipops or gum instead. He’ll admit that Dum-Dum’s lollipops are just as, if not more, addictive, but sometimes he needs the real thing. 

This was one of those times. 

As Jason lit his second cigarette, he wondered if this brand was still sold at this time or if it was a more recent brand.

_ Of all things, I’m worried about my cigarette brand. _

Jason laughed as if he hadn’t just lost everything.

Except he  _ had _ .

Jason saw  _ Him _ \- saw  _ green _ \- and shot. 

_And for what?_ _Revenge?_

Revenge on someone he’d realized was never going to go away? He was there when he closed his eyes at night to  _ try _ to sleep. His cackles echoed through his head when Jason’s brain was empty. Sometimes he could still feel the metal of the crowbar on his back.

_ Naïve of you to think killing the man would ever make his ghost disappear. _

No. 

Jason would never be free of the Joker even if he was dead.

_ Didn’t mean killing him didn’t make me smile.  _

Jason huffed a quieter laugh.

_ Funny, that sounds like something the Joker would say. At least I’m not a crazy Mass Murderer who dresses up in a costume.  _

_ Oh wait. I  _ am. 

Jason took a long drag of his cigarette to try to forget that sickening thought, but it didn’t make it any less true.

He’s killed people. Granted they weren’t exactly innocent people, but did that make it any better?

A part of him told him ‘yes it did’, because at least those people would stop hurting and killing. But another part of him didn’t know. 

And what about Sheila?

He had taken one look at the woman’s unconscious form, and just like with the Joker, he saw green, and left her to  _ die _ . And she was his  _ mother _ . She was supposed to be  _ family _ .

Jason let out another puff of smoke and noticed he’d almost burned this cigarette down to a nub. He crushed out the embers on the lip of the roof he was leaning on before flinging it off the side. 

He pulled out another one and lit it.

**Clang!**

Jason spun around quickly towards the noise just in time to see a boy climb up onto the roof. 

The kid got to his feet and brushed himself off before he noticed the space was already occupied. 

“Oh...hi?” The boy waved.

Jason blinked because ‘what the heck’. It was a good thing he’d put on a domino.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone’d be up here. I can just leave now,” the boy offered as he made his way back towards the fire escape Jason assumed he used to climb up.

“Wait,” Jason called.

The boy turned back around, allowing Jason to get a good look at him. His face was pale with dark chocolate brown hair that fell a bit below his chin. He was thin, Jason could tell by the way his dark colored hoodie hung off his body. However, he wasn’t street-rat-thin, he carried himself way too openly for that. So if he wasn’t homeless, what was he doing out here?

“What are you doing out here?” Jason asked.

The boy hesitated for a moment, his shoes scuffing the roof as he shuffled slightly in place.

“What are  _ you _ doing out here?” the boy returned. 

“Fair enough,” Jason chuckled. “How bout this? You tell me why  _ you’re _ up here and I’ll tell you why  _ I’m _ up here. Whoever has a better reason gets to stay.” 

The boy turned his head to the side looking up at him. Jason could tell he looked worried,  _ frightened _ even, but he was also curious.

“Deal,” the kid decided.

Jason turned back towards the non-existent view the roof provided. 

“You just going to stand there?” he asked, and then waited.

Slowly but surely, the kid edged up to a spot a respectable distance away. 

“So, kid, you got a name?”

“I’m Cul–” the kid stopped his eyes wide.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

“I shouldn’t give my name to strangers,” he explained abashedly.

Jason let out another puff of smoke, he probably shouldn’t be smoking around kids. 

“Mind if i just call you ‘Kid’ then?” Jason asked as he crushed the embers of his third, partially smoked, cigarette.

“Sure,” Kid shrugged.

“So now that that’s sorted out,” Jason began as he set the cigarette down on the edge of the roof, “Why are you here, Kid?”

Kid fidgeted nervously. 

“My sister sent me out for milk,” he explained.

“This doesn’t exactly look like the supermarket to me, bud.”

Kid tensed,“I just– I ran into some other boys.” 

Jason turned towards him.

“They- they wanted to take the money my sister gave me, so I- I ran.”

“And you’re hiding from them,” Jason guessed.

“Yeah,” Kid confessed, “I guess that makes me a coward, doesn’t it.”

“Nah. Being a coward keeps you alive, I should know.”

“Huh?” Kid asked, turning towards him in surprise.

Jason chuckled.

“Out here, keeping your head down, not drawing attention, running and hiding instead of standing up for yourself, those are the kind of things that keep you alive.”

“That’s what my sister thinks.” Kid replied, wrinkling his nose, “That’s why she doesn’t have any friends.” 

“She’s a smart girl. Friends are a dangerous thing to have out here,” Jason explained. 

“Is that why you’re all alone up here?” Kid asked. 

Jason knocked off the cigarette in surprise at the question. He watched as it tumbled down into the blackness of the alley below. He turned back to Kid and saw him flinch. Flinch in a way that Jason knew well. 

_ The results of a crappy parent - usually the dad.  _ Jason thought, as he tried to hold back the anger he instantly felt for the boy’s father.  _ Explains why the sister sent him for milk if their home is about as safe as the streets. _

“Was done with that thing anyway,” Jason huffed in forced apathy as he looked away from the boy. He stayed as still as possible, hoping Kid would relax a bit. 

They stayed like that for a bit, neither of them saying anything. 

“I- I- I think- I think- I should leave now,” the boy stuttered out before backing away towards the ladder.

Jason sighed a little to himself. Technically he couldn’t make the kid stay, but anything to keep him out of his house a bit longer would be good.

“I have friends,” he ends up saying, “Or … I used to.”

The footsteps paused. 

The silence stretched for about a minute.

“I’m sorry,” the kid whispered, “what happened to them?”

“They–” Jason started, but then stopped, because how do you explain to a kid you just met that you accidentally erased them all from existence? 

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to talk about it. It was rude of me to ask, I–”

“They're gone,” Jason turned towards the kid and tried to give him a reassuring smile, which probably looked more pained than he’d like. 

“Can’t you visit them?” the kid asked with a confused look on his face.

Jason chuckled sadly at the child’s innocent question.

“They forgot about me kiddo, or I guess you could say  _ I _ forgot about  _ them _ .”

“Why?” he asked

Jason let out a long breath.

“I guess I lost sight of what was important to me.”

_ Why the frick am I spilling my guts to this poor abused ten year old? _

“Can’t you call them? Try again?” the kid asked. He was slowly making his way back towards Jason. Relaxed but warry.

_Smart guy._ Jason thought with a smile. _Stupidly optimistic, but smart._

“There’s not any hope of that, Kid,” Jason confessed, “I’m on my own.”

There was silence for a while. Then he became aware of a presence close to his right.

“My sister says ‘there's light at the end of every tunnel’. ” the kid quoted, “Even if we can’t see the end of the tunnel doesn’t mean the light isn’t there. I think sometimes, we can’t see it all, but other people can.” The kid turned to look up at Jason, “That’s why everybody needs a friend, Mr. ...uh”

“I’m nobody, kid,” Jason replied gruffly.

“Nobody’s nobody,” the kid returned, “I know I’m somebody, and I know that you’re somebody too! Everybody’s  _ somebody _ .” The boy proclaimed with a triumphant smile, before frowning and asking: “Did that make any sense?”

Jason smiled fondly, because this little scruff of a boy who thought himself cowardly for sneaking away from fights he couldn’t win was kind enough to encourage someone he didn’t know. Someone who could have very well killed him. Or worse. Maybe he was a stupidly optimistic kid, but Jason could never call him a coward for being kind.

After all, he’d probably be in a corpse in the street if it hadn’t been for kindness.

A coward can hide their heart away and never let it see the light of day. But it takes  _ courage _ to be kind. To give yourself to someone else. To be willing to let yourself  _ die _ for them. That’s the kind of bravery that puts on a mask every night.

That’s the bravery his family showed him every day.

He couldn’t let that go to waste, no matter what time he lived in. 

And if he could be brave enough to be kind to just one kid…

It would never make up for what he’d done, but maybe it would make the most out of it.

_ “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think,” _ Floated through his mind.

_ Good old Christopher Robin. _

“Yeah,” Jason replied finally, looking towards where the sun was starting to sink. “Somehow, I think it did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys.....
> 
> I know you probably hate my guts right now... I get that. (Please don't kill me)
> 
> A huge thank you to my beta PepperSoniRoni! She suffered so much helping me with this and deserves much thanks! Here are her [tumblr](https://peppersonironi.tumblr.com/) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperSoniRoni/pseuds/PepperSoniRoni) accounts. Please go check out her stuff!
> 
> Also, again, thank you to all of YOU! I love getting feedback from you: the reactions, the questions, the theories, the suggestions! I love it all. But more importantly, I'm thankful for each and every one of you who read this fic. It's so encouraging and validating to know a bunch of people I don't know to read something I made and enjoy it!
> 
> So...yeah. I realize that most of you are probably calling for my head after what I just did to Jason. I will let you know that this was always the plan. Just like in real life, Jason has to deal with the consequences of his actions. Nobody really does what Jason just did and gets away with it completely. Also, this tragedy allows Jason to ask some important questions about himself and will help him grow as a character (even if it takes a long angsty road to get there).
> 
> Also, just to clarify, yes that was Cullen Row! THE BOY! To be honest, I didn't really know much about Harper or Cullen. They are kinda at the fringe of my Batkid knowledge, but (thanks to the requests and help from my beta and her sister) I am happy to say that Cullen and Harper are here to stay! (Also, I barely know Cullen, but I'm pretty sure I would die for that soft boi if need be)
> 
> Pun Guy did return in 2020! I know he wasn't in it for long, but i hope you guys like the content that was there.
> 
> Announcement! I started a new blog on tumblr for this fic, specifically memes of this fic. I'll put the link [here](https://thememesthatwerecreated.tumblr.com/) for all of you! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. :)
> 
> Hope you guys have a wonderful Holiday Season! I want to try to post again over the holidays, but, as usual, I can't make any promises. I love each and every one of you! 
> 
> Keep reading & writing! :)
> 
> P.S. For thy ammusement, here is a [meme](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/778358095776579584/782439863101947905/4o7ilb.jpg) my beta made.  
> Too soon? :)


	10. Oh, have you met?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That … had not gone according to plan.

“ _ Nightwing! _ ” Barbara yelled as Dick leapt off of a particularly large building.

Dick sighed as the wind whistled past his face and through his hair. Although Blüdhaven had taller buildings, there was something about falling in Gotham that he didn’t really know how to describe except he just felt … freer. Dick had missed that feeling. 

He used to fear the flutter in his heart when nothing supported him. But now, knowing that he could catch himself at any moment, at any hint of trouble with a pull of a trigger he could jerk himself upward towards the sky made all the sorrow and fear disappear. It allowed him to  _ fly _ . 

Dick waited until he was about halfway down the skyscraper before deploying his grapple. He aimed and then closed his eyes again. He listened to the zipping sound of the device activating, singing in harmony to the whipping of the wind. Then he felt the jerk and the pull from the bottom of his gut and he was flying again, but this time he was flying up. 

_ “N!” _ Batgirl’s yell filtered through his comm. “ _ You  _ know _ how much I hate it when you do that!” _

He cackled. 

“That’s half the fun, BG.” He replied as he released his grapple and used his momentum to flip up onto the next building.

_ “One of these days you’re not gonna–” _

“BG, I’m  _ fine! _ ” Dick interrupted.

He heard her huff over the comm.

“What’s got your cape in a twist?” He asked “You know I do this all the time.” 

_ “Just–”  _ she started,  _ “please be careful.” _

“I’m always careful, Batgirl.” 

A scream sounded off to his right.

“Oops, gotta go, BG. Duty calls.”

He turned off his comm and made his way towards the sound of distress.

*****

That … had not gone according to plan.

First of all, there had been a lot more thugs then Dick was expecting. Sue him! How was he supposed to know the difference between a ‘ _ oh help me I’m getting mugged’ _ scream and a  _ 'I'm locking up for the night and ten thugs are trying to rob my store’  _ scream?

Secondly, there was still a civilian in the store. So it wasn’t like he could flip all willy nilly out of the way of bullets without risking their safety. Therefore it had taken a  _ lot _ longer. Meaning he’d gotten a bit tired, and a bit sloppy, resulting in a knife wound in his side.

Thirdly and finally, he could  _ not _ let Barbara find out about this.

It wasn’t  _ bad _ . Dick already knew it hadn’t hit any major organs or anything like that. But after ending their last conversation with ‘I’m always careful’ and then coming back with a knife wound … yeah that wouldn’t be pretty. Which is why Dick found himself knocking on the back door of Leslie’s clinic at what she’d call ‘the ungodly hours of the morning.’

The door opened to the same graying woman. The same woman who happened to be the only person in the world with a glare worse than Batman’s and a close second to Alfred’s. A glare she now leveled on him.

“I promise it’s not as bad as it looks!” He explained, while keeping his left hand planted firmly on the wound on his right side. 

Leslie pursed her lips, analysing him for a terrifying second, before jerking her head towards the inside of her personal workspace. A good thing she’d chosen the room that led to the back door of the clinic. Now that Dick thought about it, she’d probably done that on purpose.

Dick moseyed his way inside and shut the door behind him.

“Sit,” Leslie ordered, not looking up from a clipboard she was holding.

Dick valued his life so he sat on the examination table. 

Leslie sighed as she put down the clipboard and turned her gaze towards him.

“It’s good to see you’re mostly in one piece, Dick.” She greeted.

“Good to see you too, Leslie.” 

“And why,” she drawled as she opened a drawer and retrieved some bandages, “are you here with me instead of back at the cave with Alfred.”

Dick winced. 

Leslie paused in retrieving more of the necessary supplies and leveled her glare at him again. 

“I’d rather Babs not find out about this?” He finally confessed.  _ Dang, that second place glare. _

Something like a small smile stole over her face as she continued gathering supplies, “You two going out again?” She asked.

“Uh … I’m not … sure?”

“Dick, how can you not be sure if you’re going out with someone?” Leslie asked as she walked over and started laying out things to the right of him. 

“Well, she was mad at me for a while.”

She nodded, unsurprised, as she soaked a rag in disinfectant.

“You knew about that?” He asked accusingly before smothering a small hiss as it tried to escape his throat.

“I did,” Leslie confirmed as she continued to clean the wound.

“Can you please, for all that is good in this world, tell me why she was … or possibly  _ still is _ mad at me?” Dick pleaded.

Leslie shook her head. 

“That’s something you should ask her.”

“If I ask her,” Dick explained, “She’ll get mad at me for not knowing! And that’ll make things even worse!”

“If you present it the right way, she’ll see it as you wanting to listen to her side of things.” Leslie countered.

“Okay then how should I ‘present’ it?” He asked.

The back door banged open.

“OKAY,  _ FINE! _ YOU WERE RIGHT! I SCREWED UP AND IT’S COMPLETELY MY FAULT! HAPPY?!?!” 

Dick went slack-jawed as he stared at the very man who saved his brother and who he also kinda sorta sung karaoke with.

The Red Hood seemed to have a similar reaction, standing stock still and going  _ very _ silent.

“Actually,” Leslie remarked, dressing his wound as if nothing had happened, “If you present it like that, I think you’ll do just fine.”

“You-” Dick spluttered.

“You.” Red Hood responded.

“Oh, have you met?” Leslie asked as she started stitching the wound. 

“Not exactly,” Dick replied.

“ Nightwing, Red Hood. Red Hood, Nightwing. There, now you boys have met .” She introduced simply. 

That did little to relieve the tension in the room.

“How do you know the Red Hood?” Dick asked her incredulously.

“The same way I met you,” she answered, “Sheer stupidity on his part.”

“Hey!” The vigilantes exclaimed simultaneously. 

“I’d like to see you try to deny it after all the times I’ve seen you, Nightwing,” Leslie countered before turning to Red Hood, “And you _did_ just come in here admitting that you screwed up.”  
Dick could have sworn he heard Red Hood mutter a quiet ‘frick’ under his breath.

“Have a seat, Hood,” she ordered, gesturing to an empty chair with her head. “I’m nearly done here, and then you can tell me all about how I was right.”

Red Hood let out an audible sign, but sat in the chair like he was asked. 

“Why are you here?” Dick burst out.

“Why are  _ you  _ here?” Red hood returned.

“Boys, play nice,” Leslie ordered, “You can have your interrogation somewhere else, but 

my clinic is off-limits.”

“Yes ma'am.” 

“Whatever you say, doc.”

It was rather quiet as Leslie finished stitching up the wound. Dick sat on the examination table, glancing up at Red Hood every so often, but trying to avoid eye contact. Red Hood sat in the chair looking down at the ground, his left foot tapping rhythmically. 

“And done,” Leslie announced as she finished the last stitch, “Now I assume you know how to bandage yourself properly. Mind swapping seats so I can get started on my next patient?” She asked as she tossed him the roll of bandages.

Dick caught the roll on instinct as he wrapped his head around the words Leslie had just said. 

They had assumed that Red Hood was injured from busting the drug ring nearly a week ago. Had he come here afterwards?

“You heard the doc, Birdbrain. Scoot!” 

Dick carefully slipped off the examination table and shuffled over to the now vacant chair.

“You’ve been saying out of trouble, Hood?” Leslie asked, as he started removing his suit’s outer armor.

“Relax, doc, I kept my promise,” he replied.

“How refreshing,” Leslie deadpanned as he lifted his armor slightly. 

Dick couldn’t resist trying to get a look at Red Hood’s injury, but with the way Leslie was standing, he couldn’t get a good angle without looking suspicious. So, he gave up and went back to wrapping his wound. 

“Well you didn’t tear your stitches,” Leslie reported, “so I suppose I’ll have to believe you”

“Hey, I’m true to my word, doc.”

Leslie raised an eyebrow.

“I highly doubt that. How’s the shoulder?”

“Fine. Didn’t tear any stitches there either.” 

“No signs of infection.”

“If there were you’d be the first to know.” He answered with a cheeky salute.

“I’d better be. Leg?”

Red Hood kicked off a boot and rolled up a pant leg.

“Take a look yourself,” he offered.

Leslie bent down, inspecting his mid calf.

_ They seem so friendly with each other, _ Dick thought he cut off the last bit of bandage with his teeth.  _ How long has she known him? _

“Put your teeth on my bandages again and I won’t use a numbing agent the next time you want stitches.” Leslie threatened without looking up.

Dick gulped.

“Looks fine, Hood” Leslie decided after a few moments.

She walked over to the counter and picked up a clip board. She wrote a few things down as Red Hood put the rest of his suit back on.

“You can resume your … regular activities again.”

“Freaking  _ finally _ .” 

“I think you mean ‘Thank you.’ ”

Red Hood sighed.

“Thank you, Leslie.”

She nodded sagely in response before turning back to Dick.

“All bandaged up?”

He nodded.

“Good, now scram. And I don’t want to see either of you boys back here for a while, understand?”

“Thank you, Leslie,” Dick replied as he hesitantly made his way towards the door. He looked back and realized Hood had made no move to leave. 

“Hey, um” Dick stuttered, “You know the diner on 5th?”

Hood stared at him, or he imagined that he did. It was rather hard to tell his facial expressions from under that helmet.

“Yeah,” He eventually drawled, “What about it?”

“If you could … y’know just … meet me there?” Dick asked, “I just wanna talk.”

Red Hood stared at him for another few agonizing moments before finally sighing.

“Rooftop,” he said finally, “Stick around for an hour and I  _ might _ show up.” 

Dick grinned.

“Now shoo,” Hood said, waving him away.

Not one to argue with the new, threatening, possible vigilante, Dick left.

*****

To be honest, Jason didn’t know  _ why _ he decided to go. Perhaps some selfish part of him wanted to have a normal conversation with Dick and pretend that nothing had happened. 

Even though he knew this conversation would be far from normal. In fact, it promised to rank in the top twenty the most awkward conversations he’s ever had the not pleasure of participating in. 

Yes, he had a top twenty most awkward conversations, and yes he reranked them frequently because of the crazy-crap life he lived.

Jason landed on the roof of the diner on 5th, which was actually called ‘The Diner on 5th’, with a loud thud. He looked around what appeared to be an empty rooftop, which was far from the truth. 

“You came.” 

Jason turned towards the voice and saw Dick slink out from the shadow of an AC unit.

“You asked nicely,” Jason answered, folding his arms across his chest, “Now talk, before I change my mind.”

Dick walked up and stopped in front of him. He looked … younger - which, yeah, no duh time travel, what did you expect - but he also looked brighter. More carefree.

“You saved, Robin.” Dick stated, “Why?”

_ Because messing with the Bat’s is kind of my one purpose in life? Because it’s cheaper than therapy? Because I’ve been there done that and it  _ sucks _?  _

Jason sighed. 

“No one should go through what was in store for that kid.” he decided on.

“What?” 

Jason turned away.

“Trust me, you’ll sleep better not knowing.” 

Dick didn’t say anything after that, letting the silence stretch out like the last drops of honey falling from the jar. 

“How’s the kid?” Jason found himself asking. 

“Alive,” Dick answered after a moment, and Jason could practically hear him worrying.

“Don’t sweat it, Nightbird. He’s a tough kid. He’ll pull through.”

“It’s Night _ wing _ ,” Dick corrected, “And how do you know?”

“I was just like him when I was younger,” Jason chuckled to himself.

_ If only Dick knew how that true that was. _

“I have questions,” Dick stated.

“Correction,  _ the bats _ have questions, and you’re their spokesperson.”

“Speaking of bats, how come you wear one?” 

Jason paused before answering: “I don’t believe the symbol is copyrighted, next time the Big bat should cover all his bases.”

“That’s not a real answer,” Dick almost  _ whined _ .

_ Oh my freaking gosh! _

“Here’s how this is gonna go,” Jason began, spinning on his heel to face Dick again, “You get three more questions, and I get to answer them as vaguely as I desire. Then I leave and you don’t follow me.”

Dick gaped.

“Only three?” He finally managed.

“What’s the matter?” Jason asked, “Can’t count that high?”

Dick frowned. “Are you always this bossy?”

“Yes,” Jason smirked, “and that counts as a question.”

“Hey! That wasn’t-”

“No take backsies,” Jason declared, “Now stop whining and start asking.”

Dick frowned, about ten emotions crossing his face before he  _ finally _ spoke again.

“How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Everything! How did you know so much about us? How did you know where Robin was? How did you know the Joker’s plan? How did you know how to trick Al- Agent A? How-”

“You really don’t know how to count do you?” Jason sighed. “But I’ll allow it.”

“So … how  _ did _ you know?” Dick asked.

Jason looked up to the sky, as if how to answer that question without revealing the fact that he literally is...or was a bat was spelled out in the constellations.

“I’ve….observed you for a very long time. As for the Joker, I just knew he was there, and played it by ear.”

That was …  _ almost _ the truth. 

“But what about-” Dick began.

“Before you finish that sentence,” Jason interrupted, putting a hand up, “think about whether or not you want to use your final question on it.”

Dick closed his mouth, which, in Jason’s opinion, was the smartest move he’d made all night.

Jason turned towards the edge of the roof, fingering his grapple gun. A light breeze fluttered by. Jason could hardly feel it under all his gear, but he saw it drag trash and litter down the street. A coke can tumbled forward and spun on down 5th street until it got stuck in a withered bush. Jason looked up at the skyline he’d grown to love. They were far from the more glamorous part of Gotham, but Jason could still see its fluorescent glow shine like a false promise.

“Who are you?”

Jason turned around to see the look of both concern and curiosity on Dick’s face. He smirked.

“I’m the Red Hood, and here are the rules: Stay out of Crime Alley and stay out of my way.”

With that, Jason deployed his grapple leaving an even more confused Dick Grayson on the roof of The Diner on 5th.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Happy New year! I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I hope this will make up for it!
> 
> As always, I want to thank my wonderful beta for all her hard work, genius ideas, and moral support! Please go check out her [tumblr](https://peppersonironi.tumblr.com/) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperSoniRoni/pseuds/PepperSoniRoni) accounts.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this fic for so long. I hope everyone is in for the long haul, because I'm happy to announce that the prologue is almost complete! There will be a couple more chapters and then a bonus intermission chapter which I'm really excited about and I think you all will really love, and then part 1 will begin! (I hope this excites you and not fill you with dread.....heh heh)
> 
> Thank you all so much for all your support and feedback! I love hearing from you guys! If you have a theory, question, favorite part or an idea for this fic, please leave a comment below! 
> 
> I hope this chapter was a nice break from all the feels in chapter 9. Dick and Jason finally got to interact in person, and Leslie got to introduce them, so that was pretty fun. In case it was unclear, the reason the Red Hood stuck around the clinic after Dick left was so he could tell Leslie about what he found out about erasing his old timeline. As much fun as it would have been to write that interaction between them, I decided against it. This chapter was meant to be a bit more upbeat then the last one, and I think writing that scene would have pulled me back into the angst. Don't worry, there will be more Jason and Leslie interations in this fic, but this chapter was mostly about Dick and Jason. 
> 
> If you guys want to interact with me directly, I have a [tumblr blog](https://thememesthatwerecreated.tumblr.com/) dedicated to this fic where you can ask me questions and also share memes related to the fic. 
> 
> Now that the holidays (and other crazy life things that happened) are over, I hopefully will be back to my semi-regular/irregular updating time. I love all of you! Stay safe! And as always
> 
> Keep reading & writing! :)


	11. Hope you like spaghetti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason landed on the roof of his apartment building with a thud.
> 
> Home sweet home.

Jason landed on the roof of his apartment building with a thud.

_ Home sweet home. _

Well… it was as close as he was going to get.

He was about to make his way to the access door when some scuffling at the other 

end of the roof caught his attention.

“I was starting to think you weren’t coming.”

The scrawny kid from the other day, Cul-something, shuffled out from behind the AC 

unit, with much less grace than Nightwing had done not long ago.

Jason sighed. Even though he told the kid he could come hide on his roof anytime, he hoped he’d never have to.

“You  _ do _ remember me, right?” Kid asked, an edge of fear in his voice. “Or are you someone else? I’m sorry I thought you were the same-”

Jason chuckled, removing his helmet and stuck it under his arm. The kid  _ had _ only seen him in his domino.

“Hey, Kid.”

Cul-something let out a small sigh of relief that Jason imagined he didn’t intend for him to see.

“What are you doing here this time, Kid?”

“Out of eggs.” The kid shrugged, with a sheepish smile as he rubbed his arm.

Jason tried not to imagine a purpling bruise that was most likely there under his jacket sleeve. 

“So… what exactly do you… do?” Kid asked.

“I-” Jason trailed off, because what  _ did  _ he do?

“I look after Crime Alley,” he decided.

“Why?” 

“Because someone has to and Bats can’t give it the full attention it deserves.”

_ And because it’s home. It’s  _ mine _. _

“Are you a Bat?” 

This gave Jason pause. “No,” he finally answered, because although he might have been at one point, he certainly wasn’t now, “I’m something new.”

The edges of dawn teased the sky beside him. It caught his attention for a few moments with its foretold beauty.

“Is red your favorite color?”

Jason laughed. He was doing more of that now. He wasn’t sure if he should feel guilty or not that it took such drastic measures to get to that point.

“Yeah, it is,” he answered, “But don’t go spreading that around. If criminals found out I did human things like have a favorite color, it would dent my cold-hearted-machine rep.”

The kid giggled.

_ Good _ , Jason thought. The kid probably needed a laugh just as much as he did.

“Y’know, if you’re determined to stay on my roof,” Jason began, “You should take the left by Vic’s auto repair. It comes out about two blocks that way,” Jason finished pointing in the direction. 

“The one that goes past the sandwich place?” 

“That’s the one!"

Kid shook his head.“No way! That’s Void territory now.”

Jason blinked. “Really?” He didn’t remember that happening. To be fair he was dead at this point though. Any knowledge he had on gang movements wouldn’t be relevant for another few years, if at all.

“Yeah,” the kid replied, “I saw the gang symbol spray painted around there. I cut through Black Sword territory to get here.”

“That’s dangerous, kid.”

“Eh, I’d prefer Black Sword to Void.” Kid confessed. “Worst Black Sword would do is beat me, at least they wouldn’t make me join or anything.”

_ Or anything. _

Void might have a visit from the Red Hood soon. 

“You hungry?” Jason asked, although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

“Huh?”

“Are you hungry?” 

“Wha-”

“Because  _ I’m _ hungry, and I’d hate to leave you on a cold, boring rooftop.”

The kid flinched, “I don’t know, I should probably get back soon.”

“We both know no one’s expecting you to come back soon.”

Kid looked away, shoulders tensing up to his ears as he shoved his fidgeting hands into his jacket pockets.

Jason sighed, looking up at the lightning sky.

“Kid, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have by now.”

The kid shuffled in place, but didn’t say anything. His eyes darted to Jason for a moment before hastily looking away again.

“Room 219, if you change your mind.” Jason directed before turning his attention back to the roof exit, this time opening the door and descending the short flight of stairs.

He hoped to hear small footsteps following behind him, but he didn’t. He sighed. He’d been foolish to think the kid would do anything different. He wouldn’t have- 

_ Oh wait… I  _ did _. _

He’d also been offered a warm meal by a stranger in a mask and he took it.

_ That turned out well for me _ , Jason thought, although he couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not. 

Jason pressed the button for the first floor of the apartment, Dick’s questions still rattling in his mind.

_ You saved Robin, why? _

_ Because the kid needed saving _ , he thought. Not unlike how Jason needed saving all those years before that in an alley with a tire iron and three removed tires. Not unlike the kid hiding on his rooftop to avoid his father, who was probably stamping knuckles on the sister he’d mentioned. 

The elevator dinged and opened at the first floor lobby, looking the same it had when he first ‘moved in’.

He really should start remodeling the place. Maybe he could rent out the other rooms.

_ Or give that sibling pair a place to stay. _ Jason shook his head as he made his way down the left hallway to his room. What he did with the building wouldn’t matter if he didn’t have the money to back it up. Of course he had some money from the gang he busted, but he had the feeling he’d get into some complicated situations if he started using gang money to pay for it, the biggest of them being if it caught the bat’s attention. That could lead to them finding out who he is. 

Jason unlocked a door labeled 219 and sautneterd inside, closing the door behind him.

_ So I guess I need a job _ , Jason thought as he walked over to one of the kitchenettes of the apartment. He was going to have to do something about the other kitchenette.  _ I suppose that’s the one downside to blowing the wall between two apartments to make a mega one. _ He placed his helmet on the kitchen counter before checking his fully stocked cabinets.

_ That Pun Guy was a literal Godsend. _

He put his ingredients on the counter before grabbing a pot and a large saucepan from a lower cabinet.

_ If I want a job _ , Jason thought as he turned on the stove,  _ I’ll need an allas. A whole new identity. _

It had been easier when he’d come back to Gotham after dying. He was still legally dead, and he had league supplies for his  _ grand plan _ . Now, he didn’t exist and had to build his empire from nothing except what he brought from his original timeline.

_ Well, I guess I’ll have to start with a name. _ He thought and chuckled.  _ A name for no one.  _

There was a timid knock at the door. 

“It’s open!” Jason called, finally rousing himself from his thoughts.

He heard his apartment door creak open and shut. 

He looked over his shoulder to see the young boy in the tattered, green jacket taking in the whole of the large apartment.

Jason turned back towards the stove.

“Hope you like spaghetti.”

*****

“Lemme get this straight” Babs said through the hand on her face. She moved her hand and saw a very sheepish and  _ injured _ Dick Grayson sitting on the couch across from her armchair.

“After saying that you were always careful, you then proceeded to get stabbed  _ and _ run into the potentially dangerous Red Hood!”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Dick yelled, “How was I supposed to know he’d be at Leslie’s?”

Babs pursed her lips, trying very hard to exhibit self control in this situation

“That, I admit, was a bit of bad luck, but then you went and had a  _ private  _ conversation with him  _ while injured _ !”

“It’s not  _ that  _ bad, Babs! I can handle myself!”

“Apparently you can’t! You can’t keep making choices like this!”

“Like you’ve never taken a risk? Is that what you’re asking me to do? Not take a single risk? I might as well hang up my cowl while we’re at it!”

“That’s not what I meant, Dick, and you know it! I’m just saying you should be careful!”

“I  _ was _ !”

Babs scoffed and raised her hands in the air. 

“I don’t believe this! As usual, you fail to see the obvious threats!”

“What do you mean ‘as usual’ ?” Dick asked, “Does this have to do with why you broke up with me?”

“Richard John Grayson, I swear you are the stupidest man to walk the planet!”

“Ahem.” 

The pair looked over to see Alfred standing in the doorway. 

“I do hope I’m not interrupting,” he announced, though he meant the exact opposite, “but I thought you’d both like to know that Master Bruce’s plane departed as scheduled.”

Barbara exhaled slowly. 

_ Bruce was coming home. _

Jay _ was coming home.  _

“Thanks, Alfred.”

Alfred looked between the two of them with a raised eyebrow before leaving the doorway. His departure settled the room into an awkward silence between her and Dick, him fidgeting on the couch across from her looking down at his feet, while she found she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She couldn’t stop drinking in the sight of him. He was just too reckless, too carefree, too unconcerned with the repercussions of his actions. One day it would come back to bite him, and… he’d probably be gone. 

“I’m sorry,” Dick said finally.

Barbara blinked. 

“What?”

Dick looked up at her.

“I’m sorry for worrying you,” he clarified, “With everything going on with Jason,” he sighed, “I should have known better than to scare you like that.”

Babs sighed trying to keep her ever growing emotions from spilling out her eyes. “I forgive you, and… I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Dick let out a chuckle and looked away, “It’s okay, and.…” He paused, cringing. “I’m sorry for whatever it was I did that made you break up with me before. It wasn’t on purpose…whatever it was, but I upset you, and I’m really sorry for that. If you tell me… what it was I did that upset you… I want to try to work it out, work this out.”

“You do?” Barbara asked.

Dick’s eyes shot up and met hers.

“Yeah, I do.” He confirmed, “Did you think I didn’t?”

Barbara couldn’t stop the tears this time. They poured out in a hiccuping sob.

Dick’s eyes widened, freezing for a moment before standing.

“Hey,” he soothed as he crossed over to the other couch and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her “Hey.”

“I thought,” she managed through the sobs, “I thought it was what you wanted.”

“Breaking up?” he asked, surprised.

Barbara nodded.

“No! No, I didn’t want that at all! What made you think that?”

“Kory,” she answered.

“Babs, I told you, Kory’s a friend.”

“Does she know that?” Barabara countered, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

Dick paused.

“I-”

“I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Dick,” Barbara interrupted, “if you think you two are just friends then you need to make sure you’re on the same page”

“You thought I was cheating on you.” Dick realised, horrified.

Barbara bit her lip and nodded. 

Dick’s other arm wrapped around her, enclosing her in warmth.

“Oh Barbara,” Dick said as he rocked them both and let her cry, “I’m so sorry you thought that. I promise, I didn’t cheat on you.”

Babs turned into him and nestled her face in his shoulder. 

“Shh,” he murmured, “It’s alright, Babs, I’m not going anywhere.” he planted a kiss on 

the top of her head and continued to rock her. “I promise, I’ll straighten things out with Kory. Okay?”

Barbara nodded, clutching on to his shirt. 

“Babs,” Dick began as he rubbed circles into her back. “I’ve literally had a crush on you since I was twelve, and I don’t think that’s gonna let up any time soon. If anything...it’s gotten worse.” He cringed, “I don’t mean worse like it’s a bad thing! I mean like it’s good. It’s more than good, it's amazing. You’re amazing. Barbara I love you.

Barbara laughed before looking up at Dick. “You’re an idiot, Dick Grayson.” She cupped the back of his neck. “But you’re my idiot. And I love you, too.” She finished as she pulled him closer for a kiss. 

When Barabara pulled away, she rested their foreheads together. 

“And thank you for the roses, Dick.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I know it's been a looooong while, but I'm back now! Hopefully I won't go on hiatus like that for a bit.  
> As always, I must thank my lovely beta, PepperSoniRoni! Please go check out her [tumblr](https://peppersonironi.tumblr.com/) and her [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperSoniRoni/pseuds/PepperSoniRoni) accounts.
> 
> Also, thank you to all of you for sticking with this fic for so long! It means a lot! I'm really glad that I can use this medium to lighten someone's day! If you feel like it, please leave a comment below. Tell me what you thought, what you predict, something you thought should've gone differently, or anything else on your mind! I only ask that you be civil. 
> 
> I hope you liked Jason and Cullen's interactions, because there will be more. I personally love Jason being soft with children because it's such and antithesis to his agression, but is also still true to his charater. Also if you guys have pointers on the Babs and Dick scene I welcome your critisim with open arms (again please be civil). I tried my best and I like how it turned out but I do want it to be realistic as well, so if something is strikingly unrealistic please leave a comment below. 
> 
> If you guys want to interact with me directly, I have a [tumblr blog](https://thememesthatwerecreated.tumblr.com/) dedicated to this fic where you can ask me questions and also share memes related to the fic. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for your support of this fic! I'm really glad it's something I do now!
> 
> Keep reading & writing! :)


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